Do you love Spring as much as I do? I love living in North Carolina with its four distinct seasons. Just when you are tired of the last one, God sends you something new. Snow and sledding are fun, but when the air becomes warmer, the trees start blooming, and everything green starts coming back to life, my soul feels refreshed! There is nothing better than a warm Spring day with a cool breeze!

(My allergies don’t feel the same way, but that’s neither here nor there… is it okay to take an Allegra in the morning and a Claritin at night? Asking for a friend….)

For me, Spring seems like a great time for a fresh start, even more so than January 1st. It’s a good time to spruce up the yard, clean out the closets, and simplify. It’s a good time to look at the weakening or dead things in my life and prune or revive as needed.

Examples?

• Gym membership that I never use? It’s making me feel guilty and I’d rather walk outside than on the treadmill anyway. PRUNE.
• Quality time with friends? I’m not great at carving out intentional time with friends, but I think that’s important and want to make more of an effort. REVIVE.
• Physically going to the grocery store? Too many kids (like, more than one) and not enough time. Plus, it’s cold in there. I can order online. PRUNE.
• Time spent on Facebook and reading headlines? The world these days and ALL THE PEOPLE SAYING ALL THE THINGS is stressing me out. I don’t need to know my friend from high school’s sister’s husband’s opinion on the state of the Union. PRUNE.
• Quality time with my kids? I spend a lot of time with my kids, but I do not stop and savor like I should. I want to read that book or take that walk instead of telling them I have too much work to do. The work will get done, and one day they aren’t going to want me around so much. REVIVE.
• Quality time with Jesus? Instead of doing my studying and praying only when I’m exhausted and about to close my eyes, I want to do it during the day when I’m at my best and have the most energy. That may not be first thing in the morning for me, but there are better windows than what I’ve been choosing. REVIVE.

I could go on, but you get the idea. What would the list like for you? I know we all have things we’d like to cut back on and things we need to make more of a priority. Have you taken a fresh look lately? There is something about everything coming back to life that makes me want to reevaluate and make changes. I want to let dead things go, and ask God to help me breathe life back where it’s needed.

Here are a few ideas to help you reevaluate and refresh your life this Spring . We hope it inspires you to get up, get going, and CHOOSE JOY! (And we’d absolutely love to hear your “Prune” and “Revive” list in the comments!)

• Commit to spending 15 minutes a day in dedicated prayer. If you get easily distracted, try writing your prayers down to help you stay focused.
• Download idisciple. It’s a cool new app where you can stream sermons and lessons based on your speaker and topic preferences.
• Look up your local greenways and get to walkin! There is something awesome about being in God’s creation! Especially when it’s FREE! 🙂
• Put down the screens and pick up a book. Ask your friends for recommendations and start reading! Too much screen time is depressing (seriously).
• Knock on the neighbor’s door! If you want to love your neighbor, it really helps to know who they are. Nervous? Bake some box brownies and use your kids as a buffer.
• Clean out your closet and get rid of clothes that don’t fit or you haven’t worn in a year. They’re taking up space, making you feel bad about yourself, and someone else could probably really use them!
• Just say no! It’s okay to NOT be involved in everything. Choose the things that are most important to you and your specific areas of gifting and serve! But don’t overburden yourself and your family by feeling like you always have to say yes to every project or request.
• Turn off your phone! It’s not healthy to be “reachable” all the time. Try to turn off your cell phone (or at least put it on “do not disturb” mode) in the evenings when you are at home with your family.
• Set specific times to check your email, Twitter, and Facebook, so that you aren’t constantly looking at your phone all day. And when you are with friends, PUT IT AWAY.
• Plant some flowers! There is something divine about turning sad, brown spaces into green spaces that are full of life. If you don’t want to do hard digging, just get some pots, potting soil, hardy plants (try Lantana!) and add some color to your yard and porch spaces.
• Make a schedule. Plan out a (rough) daily schedule for yourself that includes time to take a walk, savor time with your kids, rest, or spend time with Jesus. Set-aside, quality times usually don’t happen unless we are intentional about creating that space.
• Help someone else! Feeling in a funk? Nothing is better to get out of your own head than reaching out to love on someone else.

We hope those ideas will give you some inspiration to make a “fresh start” in any areas of your life that are struggling right now. PRUNE. REVIVE. REPEAT. You can do it. We’re rooting (roots…plants…Spring… see what I did there?) for you.

Happy Spring, Friends. May you feel God’s presence today and every day as you daily strive to walk more closely with Him.