Spring

I posted this on our "franzen family blog" but Aaron thought it should be posted here too, written Friday 11/13. I know we are leaving Fall and headed into Winter...don't worry, I haven't gotten confused. But the blog title instead refers to the Season of life I feel like I'm in. I'm at a Global Health Missions Conference right now. The first night after some worship, the leader started describing Summer and then told us to stand up if we felt that was the season that we felt currently described where we were at in life. Then we all prayed for those standing and went through fall, winter, and finally spring. I stood at Spring. Spring to me means new growth, the hope of warmth and blue skies and sun. At this conference and in the past month in Dallas as I've read some thought provoking books, had A LOT of alone time to think about life, God has really just been working on my heart. Overwhelming me with visions and dreams for the future, convicting me about not doing more to Live and Love for Christ right now. In my heart, Aaron and I's transient status in St Louis for another 6 months (and now currently the job situation), our long-term future post-residency and PhD schooling....there are so many tiny green buds sprouting up from the dirt and it is exciting. So many changes coming and new things to come. I'm not sure where these sprouts will go, what these changes will actually bring...i'm hoping they'll all turn into beautiful fields of wildflowers instead of being killed by a late frost, but life is exciting and its comforting to know God is with us whether the sprouts bloom or die. New growth of baby Lucy, of Adam getting awesome internship offers...I'm not sure if you're all in "spring" like I feel like right now, but it is kind of neat to think about what season of life we are in. How God's beauty and awesome creation of the seasons and the gorgeous landscapes that come with each one can really help us to reflect on where God has taken us, where we are currently, and the next seasons that will eventually come.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (cliche I know)