Spring has returned, and life is good! Slowly but surely over the past month, new life has appeared. Hyacinth, daffodils and tulips burst forth from their bulbs that had been resting beneath the dirt all winter. The buds on the trees have given way to the first green leaves. The dogwood, wisteria and redbud trees boast a beautiful show with white, pink and purple flowers whose petals will eventually fall and decorate the ground. The fresh, crisp air welcomes the scent of freshly cut grass, and the sunshine lifts my spirit and warms my bones.
The older that I have become, the more I dread the winter. The flowers disappear, the leaves fall from the trees and the landscape turns brown and seemingly lifeless. Days of clouds and dreariness cause me to long for sunshine. The bitter wind and freezing temperatures make me want to hibernate until spring. The snow that I once looked forward to as a child has become a dreaded sight. As an adult, I find that snow means hazardous driving, sidewalks to shovel, slippery parking lots, damp clothes and wet, muddy floors.
As unbearable as winter now seems to me, I always make it through. Though the frigid mornings make me want to stay in my warm fluffy pajamas and hide under my electric blanket, I force myself to rise each day and persevere. I know that winter is just a season that will eventually come to an end and that spring and summer will happily return.
Life really is all about seasons. Some seasons are less enjoyable than others. Strained relationships, health issues, financial difficulties and grief can overwhelm us at times. There may be seasons so challenging that we struggle to pull ourselves out of bed each morning. Thankfully, our hardships are only temporary and we can have hope that seasons of love, good health, prosperity and joy will surely come our way again. Best of all, if we belong to Jesus, not only will He stay by our side through our difficult season, He also promises to someday take us home where we will find a permanent ending to those seasons of struggle.
Ecclesiastes 7:14 tells us, “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other….” If life was always good, how often would we seek God? We thank God and praise him for his blessings during happy times, but we might not remember as well how much we need Him. It seems that the difficult times we encounter are the times that cause us to reflect and to realize our need for God. When times are bad, we turn to God, remembering how awesome, powerful and good He is. When things are out of our control, we seek God for guidance, strength and peace. We may learn that there are changes we need to make in our life or we may simply realize that there is nothing we can do but hold on to God with all of our might and trust that relief will come. We definitely appreciate the good days more because of the bad days we endure.
When we seek God during difficult times, we are blessed by his love, peace and presence. During seasons of despair, we can remember that a season doesn’t last forever. We find hope that better days are ahead. Some of those days may be here on earth, but if we truly belong to God, we can be sure of a future when all struggling will end and we will inherit a life far better than we can imagine. A time is coming when peace, joy and perfection will last for an eternity.