by Jacqueline Snow
May is a month of movement and milestones, most notably marked by graduation ceremonies of all kinds. School years are wrapping up, nudging students into their next steps. Feelings of relief and accomplishment make way for the much-needed break. May also gifts us with a day to appreciate, recognize and celebrate motherhood. The similarities in graduations, motherhood and springtime all converge to beautifully represent the concept of new beginnings.
In navigating 2019 with faith, what does May feel like to us? Do we sense that the Lenten season, like time in the womb, was one of incubation, formation, preparation? Do we feel ready to emerge and go? Have we “graduated” to the next level of our spiritual journey? Are we aware of what is ready to bloom in our faith life? Are we questioning “Lord, may I ask what is next for me?”
The word “may” implies a desire for movement … to ask for something or request permission to proceed. Imagine the first disciples of Christ as they established His first church congregation. Imagine their first steps – full of zeal, courage and excitement. They had been born again …t otally transformed by what they had witnessed and experienced. The Master had mothered them, formed and prepared them, and set their hearts on fire. He graduated them into their next roles as teachers, healers, leaders. He called them forth to sprout and bloom in the powerful life-giving sunlight of His resurrection. And yet, we know that sometimes they found themselves going back to what they had known before – fishing. And like everything else that was, the old had become new. The various labors and leisures of life held new, deeper significance and purpose. May God bless us as well, with zeal and fresh movements as we navigate the milestones of Spring, with Him.
