It is now technically spring. There is evidence of that fact in the flowers that are beginning to bloom. And yet, the weather often still feels like winter, even though we have not had any significant snow. It is actually a pretty common annual occurrence that even once spring has technically begun, the warmth of spring usually seems to take its time about coming.
This reminds me of the fact that our rational mind is regenerated before our natural mind (see Secrets of Heaven 3493). Spring comes to our rational mind before it comes to our natural mind, just like spring technically arrives before it often feels like spring. We might sometimes feel frustrated that even though we’ve learned something about how to live our life better, and committed ourselves to being a more useful, loving person, we can still often feel like our bad habits are lingering, like the lingering cold weather of winter on the first day of spring. It doesn’t feel fair or right. And yet stepping back and looking at the big seasonal picture reminds us that we have made enormous progress since the middle of winter. Spring is coming in our minds and hearts and lives, even though we still sometimes experience cold states.
As we continue to practice the life of the Lord’s love, may we begin to feel more and more of the warmth of that love in our hearts this spring.