Winter Always Gives Way to Spring
Spring is here! And in Southern California, we’re already seeing the first green shoots beginning to bud — especially with the recent rains. Narcissuses and daffodils are poking their heads, my backyard rosebushes are coming to life, and back east, yellow forsythia bushes are probably already aglow. Don’t you love the way Spring revives the earth? It always changes things. As winter gives way, life begins all over again.
But sometimes, the “winter” of our souls can feel eternal… the fibromyalgia only becomes more debilitating, the apology never comes, the job promotion is given to another, or your marriage feels more “dead” than ever. And like Job, perhaps you find yourself looking out your window, wishing you were like one of those green buds, springing anew: “Even a tree has more hope! If it is cut down, it will sprout again and grow new branches… At the scent of water, it will bud and sprout again like a new seedling” (Job 14:7-9). But friend, have hope! Even though I live with quadriplegia and chronic pain, I have the wonderful assurance that my “personal winter” won’t always be this way. And you can, too, when you set your eyes on Jesus.
So today, shake off that icy bitterness, pull out any weeds of fear or angst, and yield to God’s pruning in your life. As James 5:7 says, “Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains of fall and spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” That is true encouragement! Soon we will delight in an eternity full of joy, peace, answered prayers, and ever-blossoming health. Until then, you and I can trust that the Lord will see us through any season.
And to help you, I’d like to share with you this free download of my booklet, “Winter Always Gives Way to Spring.” Because in Jesus, we can trust that our hardships never have the final word; with the help of God, the winters of our soul will give way to a fruitful Christian life.
