Spiritual Springtime...

I struggle with the winter blah's. This year it was especially hard as I had a very bored toddler on my hands. We had lots and lots of snow, and the cold bleakness just seemed to drag on forever.

I have, or had been, in a state of spiritual dryness as well. I knew that I was not where I should be in my walk with the Lord but couldn't put my finger on the what or why. I felt very separated and alone. I know that many people go through these seasons in life, yet we don't want to talk about it. If we don't talk about the hard times, the dry times, how will we talk about the times of redemption that come from our valleys?

We have been going through a sermon series at church on our spiritual identities as believers. It has truly brought me out of winter and into a spiritual springtime that has refreshed my walk with the Lord in ways I couldn't imagine. If you get a chance check out the online sermons at Sojourn Church online.

www.http://sojournchurch.com/category/sermon/faithmapping/

The identity that spoke to me most has been family. Specifically our spiritual family. We are commanded in scripture to come together as the body of Christ and live life together as different parts of a whole. As you read through the New Testament you don't see story after story about one person and their walk with the Lord but you see pictures of a community of believers living life together united in the cause of Christ. We were asked that week how we related to the body of Christ. Were we cut off, casual, or committed?

Many years ago I was deeply hurt by the body of Christ. For a season I was cut off from the body of Christ. It was my defense mechanism, my attempt to get through the pain, and to heal. I soaked up the word of God like a dry sponge and have never clung so tightly to my Savior. However, in cutting myself off from the body of Christ I was living in sin and my spiritual walk soon began to suffer. In all reality I didn't even realize it was happening. It is amazing how easily we are deceived by satan into believing that what we are doing is right and just, or merely being blinded to the truth of our sin entirely.

God has opened my eyes, and conviction has set in. While I know it will be a struggle to trust God, to put myself back into the body of believers he has created for our edification, it is something I know I must do. God is opening many doors for us in our new church, and we feel that he will continue to stretch us beyond our comfort zone as He asks us to serve his body and the lost community around us in new ways. We are so excited to see what God has in store for our future. Maybe we were in fact called out for such a time as this. Hopefully we will prove worthy of that call.

For now, the sun is dawning, a new day is ahead...