"Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in the land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me." (Song of Songs 2: 10-13)
The new leaves are forming on the trees and the flowers are blooming in abundance here in the mountain. Beauty, joy, and life seem to be bursting forth everywhere I look. On Easter morning I was greeted by the arrival of six new goslings by the pond. Life feels new and fresh again after the long cold Winter season.
The verses above from Song of Songs are some of my favorite passages of scripture. Life is hard and often filled with stress, pain, and suffering. My heart waits in expectation when I sense my Heavenly Father calling me to come away with him for a time of much-needed refreshment and renewal. I'm filled with delight as I step away from the busyness of daily life to marvel at the beautiful things He has created. As I breathe in the fragrance of the flowers, I feel the stress melt away. I sense His presence so clearly when I take time to be still before Him and bask in the wonder of His creation.
Our Heavenly Father desires us to seek Him and to love Him. He is there waiting. All we have to do is pray. We can talk to Him like we would a friend and simply tell him our struggles and our burdens. He will forgive our sins. We just need to ask Him for forgiveness.
If we accept His invitation, He will infuse our exhausted and weary souls with tranquility, peace, and joy. He desires an intimate relationship with each of us, but we have to respond to His call to "come away" from the crazy pace of life and spend time with Him.
