In spite of winter, summer is coming

We had a whopper of a storm here last night. I lost power and cable in the midst of deafening cracks, booms and streaks of light. How can you have a thunderstorm when it’s only 35 degrees outside? Even though Easter is less than a week away it feels like winter brrrrr! We had over 3 inches of snow a few days ago.

As winter lingers and spring waits to let loose I find it difficult to figure out what to do with myself. Should I plant more in my garden? Well, when? It’s too dang cold outside to think about digging, not to mention wet. There is nothing to do around here but build another fire and wait in expectation of warmth.

Sometimes I think that is true spiritually as well. It was a long process for God to teach me that He is good… always good. Nothing that happens is outside of His control and in spite of that, He is good.

Sometimes when I fear that He might not be in control…or good, I try to make peace and safety happen. I don’t like conflict or uncertainty. I don’t like that place between winter and spring. It’s cold and wet and icky, the few hints of summer’s return are smothered in drizzle or wet sloppy snow. It feels like summer will never come. Sometimes in deep conflict or terrifying uncertainty it feels the same… or worse. Like the warmth of love in relationship will never return or like any hint of good things are smothered in something cold.

But, I expect summer to peek around the corner any day. I have planted seeds in expectation of it. I have let my wood pile dwindle feeling certain I have months before I will need to replenish it. As I have learned that God is good my uncertainty in relationships is less catastrophic. Though I can’t predict another’s response, in one sense it doesn’t matter. I can know that summer will again come. … I am anchored in the one who will carry me through.

So as I look out at the drizzly sky, I am praising God today just for the expectation of summer, warmth, and grace.

Believing the best instead of fearing the worst

Yesterday was another warm day it feels like spring around here and my crocus are blooming w00t! Three days ago there was still significant snow in my yard. Yesterday, I planted seeds in the garden. (happy dance!) I love getting my hands in the dirt. It is a celebration, a joining with all God’s little ones tending His garden.

I totally enjoy winter too, well until about February which is the peek of winter in the north. After February we still have 3 more months where it could snow. Easter is notorious for bringing on big snow storms. That’s when it gets old. It’s like the snow gets old too. After February it’s no longer a pure white, there are layers of sticks, leaves and grunge in it as it starts to recede. All along the roads there are piles of leaves and sand that block out the fledgling grasses and greenery. This place between winter and spring is just plain ugly, cold and sad. I’m sure we will get more snowy weather and it is set to turn cold again soon but I will enjoy knowing I have seeds tucked into the ground that are starting to think about popping out.

All that puts a picture in my head I wish I could explain. People have winters and springs in their lives. It’s not like one big season where your beginning is spring and your end is in winter. Sometimes lives start out in winter and end in spring. People can be very cruel to children and if a child finds no place of comfort it makes for an icy, cold beginning. But that beginning doesn’t have to define their end.

People can be very cruel in general. Too many are preoccupied in finding fault. In 1 Corinthians 13:7 there is a line translated in the Amplified version, “love is ever ready to believe the best of every person.” That speaks of trust, not just in the people being “loved” but also in God’s ability to redeem. It’s somewhat easy to believe the best in a person when they are looking their best, but that’s not the time when believing the best is most needed. In my experience I have found that the “ugliest” times are after the long winter snows have melted and spring has yet to show its effect. People look just as drab and full of debris after a long winter fight as my northern neighborhood looks right now. Pre-spring times are not the time to say, “You are not going to make it if you don’t clean yourself up!” That’s the time to plant seeds in the garden and do a happy dance. That’s the time to anticipate the spring that you believe is coming… that is if you believe the best instead of fear the worst in people.