Spring Is Coming!

Have you ever walked across a frozen field in the cold of winter? The frost sparkling on the barbed wire, the dead branches of the seemingly lifeless trees scraping the iron-gray sky? There is a silence.  A waiting. A wondering. Is everything dead? Will the ground ever produce again? You look up at the sky and wonder why the winter came.  You wonder what God was doing.  Why did He allow the frost? Questions pile on questions, and all around you is only silence.  The only sound is your footsteps against the frozen snow.

Winter can be lonely and frightening.  Blizzards come that threaten to rip you apart.  Storms of anger, and weeping, and sadness overwhelm you.  But between the storms, a beautiful quiet comes.  On the surface, winter appears to be a time of death, but it is also a time when the sap begins to rise in the trees giving them new life.  It’s a time when the earth rests and prepares for new harvest. It is a time of waiting. And the waiting has a beauty too.

Over the frozen expanse of your soul, a silent voice speaks, and if you’re willing to listen, it will tell you that everything is going to be okay. It will assure you of God’s love. In a frozen wasteland, a whisper carries far and is memorable. A connection to God can be forged that is even more potent because of the stillness. Winter makes God’s voice loud.  The whisper becomes a shout. And the shout becomes more real than the frozen snow around you.

As you slowly let go of your disappointment and confusion, almost imperceptibly, spring begins to come. Small things.  Little changes. A trickle of water, a blade of green, clouds parting to reveal a glimpse of blue sky.  Chilly gales become warm breezes. And in the crusted snow, the first crocuses of spring slowly appear. Splashes of color against the desolation.

Questions asked in the middle of winter aren’t always answered immediately.  But as time passes, the truth of Romans 8:28 is revealed. God turns every bad thing into something good. And as that truth settles in and becomes your reality, frozen winter melts into glorious spring. Contentment comes.

If you’re in the middle of winter—if the blizzard winds are howling around and the life you once knew is dead—don’t despair.  You’re going to make it.  Things will change. Never forget that spring is on its way. The crocuses are about to peek out and greet the sun.

“For the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers are springing up and the time of the singing birds has come. Yes, spring is here!” Song of Solomon 2:12