spring.

word of the day: spring \ˈspriŋ\ (noun):
1. a source of supply
2. a time or season of growth or development
3. the act or an instance of leaping up or forward

I love words with multiple meanings. I especially like the word "spring."

In past years, spring has brought with it a season of uncertainty. This season follows a similar trend. In these times, I find "spring" to be an instance of leaping forward. Jake and I continue to press forward and jump into the unknown in faith that we'll figure out where we're going eventually.

Med school?

Teaching?

Ultimately, I have learned that it's not up to me to figure out what I'm jumping into.

And so, spring often becomes a season of growth. Obviously Iowans are especially happy when spring comes around, because the 3 months of snow finally melt. Flowers peek out of the soil and the sun comes out and stays out for more than a day at a time. I find that I learn the most about myself during the spring. I grow in the fact that times are often uncertain and I am called to trust that God has a plan for my life. In those times, I am reminded that "faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky (Psalm 85:11)."

And so, spring has become a source of supply. The uncertainty and process of jumping forward has lead to a season of growth, which inevitably leads to a recognition of where my source of supply is.

"Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (Jesus to the woman at the well in John 4:13-14)

The water that Jesus offers will become in me a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Jesus also says that to the thirsty he will give from the spring of water of life without payment (Revelation 21:6).

Suddenly, spring has a much more beautiful meaning. It brings with it a promise of sustainment and faithfulness. It brings a season of growth and character development. It brings with it new adventures to jump head first into.

That's why it's my favorite season. What will God teach you in this season of growth and where will He call you to leap? Will you trust Him as the source of your supply?

shibboleth.

word of the day**: shibboleth \SHIB-uh-luth\
1 : catchword, slogan
2 : a widely held belief or truism
3 : a custom or usage regarded as distinctive of a particular group

I found the following especially interesting because I just read this account in Judges not too long ago:

The Bible's Book of Judges (12:4-6) tells the story of the Ephraimites, who, after they were routed by the Gileadite army, tried to retreat by sneaking across a ford of the Jordan River that was held by their enemy. The Gileadites, wary of the ploy, asked every soldier who tried to cross if he was an Ephraimite. When the soldier said "no," he was asked to say "shibboleth" (which means "stream" in Hebrew). Gileadites pronounced the word "shibboleth," but Ephramites said "sibboleth." Anyone who left out the initial "sh" was killed on the spot. When English speakers first borrowed "shibboleth," they used it to mean "test phrase," but it has acquired additional meanings since that time. (www.m-w.com)

Aren't words fascinating? I have nothing else to add.

**This really was the word of the day according to Merriam-Webster Online.

junkie.

word of the day: junkie, \ˈjəŋ-kē\: a person who derives inordinate pleasure from or who is dependent on something.

Does junkie have a negative connotation? Does it insinuate drug pushers on the streets? I am certainly not a junkie in that sense of the word.

I AM a junkie of words. My favorite of all words is "synecdoche**" (sə-ˈnek-də-(ˌ)kē) and when Akeelah was asked to spell it in "Akeelah and the Bee," I just about fell off my seat (you can ask my now-husband, then basically-boyfriend).

There is a word for everything. No, scratch that, there are words for everything. Good, bad, happy, and sad just don't cut it anymore. That jambalaya I made Jake a few months into our marriage wasn't just bad, it was abysmal (reference "Friends," season 8 The One With the Cooking Class). I don't just like Harry Potter, I have a slightly over the top infatuation. Iowa winters aren't just cold, they are like living in a freezer in Alaska at times.

See what I mean? Word junkie.

Just a word junkie, though? I suppose you could say I'm a Jake junkie. I'm a McDonald's ice cream in the summer junkie. I'm a warm cup of coffee with a little bit of milk junkie. I'm a good book followed by an even better discussion junkie. I'm a sun dress with leggings junkie. I'm a Jesus junkie.

Wait what? Am I really? Sometimes I'm not so sure.

And so this blog was born. I can often define specific times in my life with single words. God uses these words to speak to my soul. My thinking, then, is that perhaps God has made me a word junkie in order to grow me into a more passionate Jesus junkie.

If you remember, the definition of "junkie" is simply a person who derives inordinate pleasure from or who is dependent on something.

May I derive inordinate pleasure from Jesus.
May I be dependent on Jesus.

Isn't that really what it's all about?

**You should really look up the definition of this word (see m-w.com).