Every year, every winter I wait for that special time in February. This past weekend seemed to be that one.
It is the time in February that reminds those of us, in the Pacific Northwest, that winter will end, that spring is just around the corner.
As I worked around my property, cleaning up debris, fallen from the giant trees, with each winter wind, I was seeing the signs of spring. New growth on the roses, the hydrangeas, the other shrubs and trees. New life pushed up through the dirt, from daffodil, crocus and hyacinth bulbs. Inches of winter growth on boxwoods and cedars. Flowers on the snowdrops and violets.
With each discovery I could feel my heart lighten … the promise of winter’s end was coming true! Hope for the season of spring was becoming a reality.
At times, this past winter, I wondered if it would ever come to an end. The rain, the dark days, the dampness in the air, the various shades of green … in the forests, on cement, houses and roofs. I was ready to pull my hair out in depressed frustration! I was even considering a trip away … to the East Coast, where at least the fifteen foot snowdrifts are bright white (and their multiples snowstorms have resulted in school cancellations … but, I digress).
Pacific West Coast winters are the bane of my existence!
But, on a warm and sunny February day, covered in dirt from head to toe,
I realized that,
once again,
by His grace,
I have obtained what was promised
… what always comes after a time of patience and enduring …
God’s promise.
It is as true for any trial,
for any sadness that rains down on us,
for any dark season that we might have to pass through,
as it is for the change of seasons.
God’s promise of change will be obtained.
The light will come, after a season of the dominance of the dark.
itsawonderfilledlife 