I’d like to know where I submit my formal petition. I think we should officially move the start of each year to March 1st.
Nothing against January 1st, or the Roman god Janus—January’s namesake. He is the Roman god of new beginnings. But March seems so much more appropriate to celebrate new beginnings, new life, and new opportunities. Right?
Spring has sprung and there is new life in the air. Certainly, as the birds sing in the march weather and as sprouts break out of the ground. But in my spirit as well. How about yours?
Maybe we won’t be moving New Year’s Day to March 1st—but we can certainly take stock of God’s continual movement and His faithful cycling of the seasons. Growth, opportunity, freshness—these are the words of March. These are godly words.
This year the bulk of March continues our Lenten journey. But, in God’s glory, we end this month with the ultimate testimony of New Life: the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Come, Lord Jesus!
I find it beautiful to combine the reflective and circumspect nature of Lent with the fertile soil of March, spring, and the newness of this season. In other words, along with your spring cleaning, don’t neglect your soul and your heart as you prepare for all that is to come this spring. Here are some questions:
- What has God been preparing you for as you look ahead to this next season?
- How is your heart, soul, and focus ready to see God as He works around you?
- To what is the Spirit nudging you?
- Who are the people that God is calling you to grow deeper with next?
- What good habit needs more cultivating?
- What bad habit needs more pruning?
- Where is the Lord leading you to invest time and resources?
If Spring is a time of new beginnings, how will you capture this in the coming month? How can Prince of Peace lean into God’s new and fresh movement around and among us?
The Chinese have a saying, “Crisis is an opportunity riding a dangerous wind.” I believe there is wisdom in this—you never want to wait for a crisis to make needed and necessary changes. We have all encountered dangerous winds. In the life of faith, remember that the Holy Spirit is a wind. The same word for Spirit is the word Scripture uses for wind and breath. As we step into the month of March, my prayer is that we hoist our sails to catch the movement of the Spirit. Let’s join together in riding the wind and breath of God. With faith and obedience, let us step into the opportunities before us and celebrate the new things God continues to do.
Happy New Year!
