LIFE RIGHT NOW â—½ YOU
Seasons Change
by Jennifer Stephens
It usually begins in February.
Towards the end of the month.
That first glimpse.
Living in the part of the country that experiences the best and worst of all four seasons we always notice when it happens. We wait for it. We want for it. At first, it’s gradual, then it happens in an instant.
Winter is spent curled on the couch tucked into warm blankets, avoiding the bitter cold and inconvenient darkness that’s fallen too soon. Longingly watching out the window as the sun goes down earlier and earlier each evening. February leisurely falls into March, then suddenly we find ourselves puttering around the house hours later than the day before, while the sun still shines low in the sky. Eventually we tie our shoelaces, grab a jacket, and venture out on a crispy winter’s walk, welcoming this seasonal surprise.
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And it’s on that sunlit sidewalk stroll, surrounded by so much brown, we catch a flash of…is that yellow? Hidden between leaves and tucked next to the side of a tree, there’s a brilliant pop of color crawling out of the snowy remains. It’s that first flower whispering to us that spring is near. Emerging just when we need them the most.
For some of us, the winter doldrums can get us down. Maybe a little or maybe a lot. Oh, how we long for the days spent soaking up the summer sun. Splashing. Laughing. But it’s cold. And dark. And we’re stuck inside in an endless loop of nothingness. With so much brown. All around it’s brown. Leaves. Branches. Mud where there used to be snow. So we wait. Until rising from the earth we’re greeted by a bright Easter egg colored smile. Then another. And another. A visual reminder of God’s unwavering presence and steadfast promises. Flowers multiply beneath our feet, reminding us that winter’s gloom is temporary and His blessings are plentiful. As we navigate the dark, chilly seasons of life we can rest in knowing that just as spring will always follow winter, His light will always follow the darkness. Winter may feel eternal, especially when we’re surrounded by colossal piles of snow, but at His command, it all melts.
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It ALL melts.
The sunshine lingers.
And then it’s spring.
“He sends the snow like white wool; he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.
He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against his freezing cold?
Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.”
Psalm 147: 16-18