New Life From What Appears to Be Dead Wood

I am always amazed at what nature does during spring. It is my favorite time of the year. Winter is cold, summer is hot and although I do like fall, things are starting to die off. There is a sadness about knowing that the blooms will not come again until the next spring.



Looking out at our yard and garden in the winter time, I often see trees and bushes that I think should be cut down because they look really dead to me. When I start toward them, intending to pull them up or cut them down, my husband always tells me to wait and be patient. He is often right. Those branches just looked dead. When spring rolls around new life appears on those branches.

The trees and bushes are still the same ones that were planted years ago, but there is a dramatic change in spring. Spindly sticks on dormant bushes are fed by water, sun and nourishment in the soil and come to life.

The ground that is totally brown during winter starts to green up in spring. Even some weeds are really pretty - clover, wildflowers, etc. There are times I am reluctant to mow my grass because I know I am going to mow over something beautiful (like bluebonnets in Texas!).

Gardens lighten the spirit and bring beauty to the world. When the drab, brown ground of winter is refreshed by the new green growth of spring, it seems that all things are possible.

Spiritually, we are somewhat like those dead branches. We need Someone to give us life. We are dead in our sins, but when through His grace we are saved, we are made alive.

Just like those bushes that are revitalized through the splendor of spring, we are made new through Christ. We are the same people, in the same body, but vastly different because now we truly have life.

All things are truly possible with Christ. Without Jesus, we would stay in the dark throes of our winter forever. Reborn, renewed and refreshed by His Spirit, we can blossom and produce fruit.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB). "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5 NASB).