New Life Is Arising
reflection by Ashley Brooks
Spring in Minnesota doesn’t always look like sprouting plants and birdsong. Those of us who have lived here for several seasons are all-too familiar with “false spring,” that pattern of beautiful sunny days interrupted by below-freezing temperatures and the occasional snowfall. Oftentimes this season of new life is marked by brown grass, dirty snow, and mud.
Yet still, emerging life is here in this landscape and in our hearts. After all, Jesus’s own rising from the dead was at first thought too unbelievable to be true! The women who first saw the empty tomb thought that surely his body had been taken. But just as we can look at an April sprinkled with snow showers and recognize signs of the warmth to come, Jesus’s disciples were eventually able to understand the truth: that Christ had risen indeed.
As we celebrate the Easter season in the Christian tradition, we are reminded that we are a Resurrection people. Each of us experiences a calling to live our days with joy, hope, and faithfulness. This time of year especially, we may be invited to look inwardly to recognize the hidden signs of new life that may be arising in us.
Just like with our muddy Midwestern spring, this new life may not be what you expect. Perhaps you’re experiencing an unsettled feeling of discontent, or a door that you expected to walk through has suddenly closed. Maybe you’ve found joy in a surprising place or were encouraged in gifts you didn’t realize you had. As the earth turns toward longer, sunnier days, ask yourself:
What would it look like if I, like a flower, turned my face toward the sun? In what ways could I stretch myself toward the Source of all love and goodness, like a vine reaching toward the sky? Consider whether there is an invitation here for you, such as trying a new prayer practice, following your interests and desires, seeking out a spiritual director, or exploring new ways to use your gifts and talents.
Every spring when I revisit my garden, I’m amazed at the perennials that continue to send up their shoots, year after year. Those first splashes of green are often hard to see, making their way up between last year’s leaves. They’ve survived another year of winter, of being trodden on by my dogs and nibbled at by rabbits. And still, their new life rises toward the sun.
Considering New Life Within You
Sacred Ground aims to nurture the stirring of new spiritual life within each member of our community. Whether you’ve attended our events for years or this is the first time you’re reading something from us, you are welcome here as your truest self.
One of the resources Sacred Ground provides to support spiritual seekers is our Spiritual Direction Formation and Training Program. This training program is designed to deepen your own spiritual development and provide you with the skills to attentively accompany others in their own spiritual journeys. Curious to know what it looks like for a spiritual director to hear their calling? In this interview, a Sacred Ground alumnus and practicing spiritual director shares her discernment process.
We invite you to prayerfully consider whether there might be new life within you that’s pointing toward this sacred work of spiritual direction. To learn more and ask your questions, register to join us at our online Formation Program Open House on April 16. We hope to see you there!