Essence Unleashed

This is my open letter to spring. (Pause. Insert Writer’s Block.) Nope. An inspiring piece sounds more appropriate given the climate of anxiety and panic. I need a jolt of caffeine coupled with The Holy Spirit--Lord help me! It’s March 6th already. I have nothing, but You have it all!

These are the thoughts that consumed me as I navigated towards my birthday month and could not seem to find a single word that captured the essence of my heavy heart. Have you ever been there? If I am being honest, there is nothing easy about living in such turbulent times. Sometimes, we freeze. Although we should welcome each season with open arms, new seasons require new mindsets; updates are not just for clocks! Those same beautiful dandelions that delight some can send others scrambling indoors with allergy symptoms. Why? Because they unleash their essence with unstoppable force.

Spring cleaning is a chore that I hate, BUT it makes room for items that serve us better. This month is often associated with conception and birth. As I pondered deeper truths, I thought about seeds of destiny that have been sown. Many of us have made sacrifices to leave a legacy for the next generation. Perhaps we have sown into a ministry, volunteered for a cause, or worked behind the scenes to help someone else succeed. I have personally been struggling with burnout and the phenomenon is very real. Whether you are a caretaker or an empath, it is important to sow seeds that will eventually awaken. Seed shock occurs when planting conditions are not ideal, and it requires intervention for the plant to recover and reach its potential. Although plants hide when they see me coming, I have begun to appreciate the spiritual symbolism of a garden.

The seedling that never manifests its destiny has no less genetic material. Spring is the season of singing birds, new birth, and hope, but the right conditions matter more than we realize. A farmer normally plants for the following season, but spiritual investing requires a different level of commitment. Here are some good questions to ask prior to putting a “seed” of time, energy, or resources out there.

• Will I live to see this seed awaken?

• Is this a short-term or next-generation investment? 

• Do I plant out of habit, enjoyment, obligation, or Divine instruction?

I have been on a very personal mission to hold government storm recovery programs accountable after Rebuild Florida became a six-year nightmare for me and my family. I published expose' pieces, appeared in a news interview, and launched countless formal complaints. As I waited, the silence was deafening! But on February 28th, a formal audit of the program was announced by the Inspector General and the tide is turning. My point is this: You may feel shell-shocked and overwhelmed by recent political events. Even within The Church, there is division and outrage that should not exist because unity fosters growth. Can you still remember the moment when you were saved? Perhaps the conditions were not ideal and yet you pushed through the parched ground, manifesting more than predicted. You beat the odds! Just as tree limbs stretch towards the sun, one sure sign of growth is that we do not choose a stationary life. You cannot hide in bed all day if you want to unleash the power of God and allow His essence to permeate culture.

'Tis the season of color, life, movement, and growth. Meaningful growth does not occur in a vacuum; it requires risk. March also marks the beginning of tornado season. This is the paradox of spring. When winter waves goodbye, the dormancy is finally over—the flurry of activity can be overwhelming, BUT this shift is vital. I remember my pregnancy like it was yesterday. My body responded with “all day sickness” and not just morning sickness. I lost significant weight during the first trimester, and there were no visible signs of pregnancy. The second trimester, however, was uneventful. Most physical changes occurred in that third trimester. My son is a dream come true, and I would not trade him for the world, but I cannot imagine perpetual pregnancy. Every season eventually comes to an end. God wants us to be "pregnant" with vision, but so many things can cause a miscarriage. In Jewish tradition, even the most fertile land was not to be cultivated non-stop; the seventh year was for resting. The waiting season adds more value to the promise!

For Jewish and Christian faiths, the spring equinox is a time of celebration with Passover and Easter. The spring equinox is a time of renewal, balance, and new beginnings. It can also represent the struggle between light and dark, and death and life. In the spring, when we switch to daylight saving time, we are exposed to more light during the evening hours. Less sleep means more health risks. Moving the clocks forward in the spring results in going to sleep and waking up before our internal clocks are ready. And for this night owl, there is no espresso strong enough to make up for that sort of punishment. I am grateful for Sunday services at noon, but there is even better news and so much to celebrate! Research suggests that Jesus may have been both conceived AND crucified during the spring. His pain was our eternal gain.

The spring equinox may ultimately be all about balance. A seed may carry the most precious DNA, yet without balance, its essence will never be unleashed. It takes a gardener's intentional focus. And it takes time. Waiting through the discouraging period of perceived dormancy. It is consequential to realize that right now the sun is directly overhead at the equator. Take heart, everything you need is directly above you. You have not been buried. You have been planted. Orient yourself towards The Son! This has been a season of intense pressure and conditions that can shock the seeds of greatness within us. It is important to be aware of our response to external conditions. Let's buck the current trend of chaos and choose to unleash NOTHING BUT the essence of Christ.

Song of Solomon 2:11-12 (ESV)

For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.