Spring is here and with it comes that expectation of new birth. We see it all around us as the trees begin to bud and come out of their winter dormancy. For many of us, it is exactly what we need after a long winter.
Yesterday morning I went to the drive- up window at my neighborhood coffee cafe and the young woman commented how people are acting crazy. Just her way of saying that spring fever has struck many and they no longer are content with being indoors. Spring is calling them into something new, and they want to leave the old behind.
I never get tired of springtime, even though I admit to loving winter. When autumn arrives I prepare for the days to take on a chill, and then lead directly into the brisk days of winter. I look forward to these days, and have since I was a young girl. However, even though I enjoy the days of cold weather, and the fires that warm the house, I will admit that when spring arrives I embrace it.
The other day I had a conversation with a close friend. It was not an especially easy subject we were discussing. We were talking about the patience it takes to endure a long winter. It is the kind of winter where we are hoping with all hope, that spring will arrive, and that what we have been believing for will finally make its appearance. These winters can be so hard, and at times it can feel like spring will never arrive. In fact, it can feel like one storm after another comes and we literally feel snowed in, and yet spring does come.
What we are believing for is what we know God has promised. The promise may have been a glimpse He gave us a long time ago, but it still remains a promise. My assurance during these times, and what I shared with my friend, is that God and His timing are always perfect. For this reason, I know that at the appointed time I will see everything that God has promised to me come to fruition.
I personally have learned to enjoy the days of winter, even as I await those first signs that the ground is softening. I then watch as one season melts into another, literally right before my eyes.
Hosea 6:3 “Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”