We’ve had a taste of warmer weather lately, so if you’re like me, you have spring on your mind.
The knowledge that spring is coming, puts the pep back into my step. Recently, an unseasonably warm weekend brought me to Ledges State Park.
I love going up to Ledges to hike, but I usually come with my boys, or some friends. This time, I went alone. This gave me an opportunity to reflect on why I feel so much hope in spring.
I will freely admit it. I am not a winter person. I have always hated the cold. I certainly do appreciate the beauty of the landscape after a fresh snow, but it sure does get depressing day after day, seeing the barren trees and lack of sunshine.
The seasons are very symbolic for me. Winter, bringing death and darkness, also represents the hard “seasons” in life. But winter has taught me many things.
One of the hardest lessons to grasp is that no matter how bitter, long, and hard the winters are, spring always comes.
Even though the scenery at Ledges was pretty bleak when I went, it was still impressive. What really struck me, was that even though the trees were bare around me, they were not dead. It’s true, some things do perish in winter, but many things that seem dead during the winter months are merely dormant. Resting. Waiting for spring to bring them back to life.
I couldn’t help but to also be reminded of the Easter story. Spring always makes me think of God’s promises to me and the rest of His children.
The truth that death is not the end of the story, that there is renewal and hope, is something I cling to. It’s something that brings me immense comfort, peace, and even joy during the long winter seasons in life.
I urge you to go outside and look around.
Some of the trees are already starting to bud, ready to burst with new life.
Notice them.
Watch them, little by little, go from being seemingly lifeless to heavy with fresh, new leaves and beautiful blossoms. Let them remind you, too, that whatever your winter is—whether it’s a literal winter, or a figurative one—spring is coming.
Some winters are harder than others, but don’t you notice that those especially hard winters make us appreciate the spring, when it does get here, all the more?
