Spring Yet?

Today Caleb got his golf cart out.  I went for a ride with him, and watched him swing on the swing at Fort Caleb.  The sky was the most beautiful blue, and the sun was radiant through the tree branches.  Spring time is here, it would appear... until the wind blew.  It was brisk enough to cause goosebumps to pop up on my arms, even in a sweatshirt. 

I then walked for about an hour up the gravel road by the house, back and forth, talking with Helen and listening to the gravel crunch beneath our feet.  By this time, the sun was beginning to set and our shadows were longer in front of us.  The wind had picked up, and by the time we got finished and came in the house, my fingers were numb.  A warm bubble bath helped warm me back up. 

Spring time is not here yet, but it is not winter anymore, either.  Our lives are sometimes like that.  We go through a dark period of winter when it seems as though the sun will never shine.  Dead trees and brown grass dot our landscape, and hope is a far off presence.  Then, slowly, the sun begins to peek out of the clouds.  A blue sky reminds us that there is hope, and the wind, though cold and brisk, lets us know that His Spirit is always near.  We must travel through these periods of winter to appreciate the glorious springs and summer.  Each time has its purpose... winter, though appearing dead, allows us to rest and brings about a rebirth.  Sometimes the most beautiful flowers are those that appear through the hard earth as the snow melts. 

There are many in my community struggling right now... death of loved ones, illnesses.  We live in an uncertain time.  May you hold tight to God as you fight through your winter.  Spring time is coming, and with it is new life and hope and the promise that all will once again be right with the world.