“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
(Isaiah 43:19, ESV)
Winter turns to spring, spring turns to summer and summer turns to fall. Like a perfect clock, the seasons come and go without permission or acknowledging as it passes through our lives.
Winter is the one season that confounds me the most – it is not my favorite, but definitely the most mystifying in its severe beauty.
“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.”
Hal Borland
Winter brings a silence and stillness to the world. The birds stop chirping, the animals scuttle to their hibernation place, the trees shed all their leafy beauty, the grass turns a sad brown and the sky seems to be an infinite gray. It is a dormant and harsh season and can seem to last longer than we would prefer.
Times in life can feel the same way. You may be going through a harsh season, a dying season. A season of hopelessness, rejection, despair or fearfulness. I don’t know your exact circumstance, but I do know this – seasons have to change. Winter doesn’t get to stay forever, while on the surface life looks bleak, there is a growth taking place that wants to emerge.
Like the tree without its leaves may look different, but it is still a strong tree. The same for you, you may feel different in harsh season, but you still have the same strong qualities that can carry you through.
Even in the harshest winter, nature doesn’t stop; it continues to prepare for that moment it will appear. It may seem so subtle as tiny leaves bud, tender grass starts to sprout, the ice melts creating beautiful waterfalls and sun breaks through the clouds in all its glory.
“For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing[a] has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.”
(Song of Solomon 2:11-13, ESV)
Our Hope
Your heavenly Father who called the seasons into being says a new spring is coming! This is where our hope lives! Knowing that the God who created all creation, loves His children the most. Knowing that the seasons bow to his powerful name, so does your harsh season. Your despair can turn into joy. Your hopelessness can give way to a secure heart. Your heartache can be healed. Your fear can flee because of a His perfect love.
You may not have done anything to cause the difficult season; it just happened due to difficult circumstances – I pray you give yourself grace during this time. Know that spring is coming and there is a God, who is a good father that will be your shelter.