As I look out my window I wonder if spring will ever truly come. Now that may seem odd, since winter is my favorite season; I love the cold and the snow the best! But every season has its own place, and spring is vital. It’s mid-April and if I just glance out, everything still looks pretty dead. Then I take a closer look.
I can see two lilac bushes looking bright and lively, and if I squint I can tell that there are buds on the trees. I’d probably see better if I wore my glasses … There is life out there! Spring is indeed coming, that season of new life. After a long winter – though we don’t have long winters here – one might wonder as I am if life will ever return.
It will!
Winter for many seems so long; cold, bleak, and lifeless – it seems to last forever. Spring always seems to be late. Regardless of the groundhog, spring arrives at the same time every year. Winter does not go on and on and on …
“Then put your little hand in mine.” “Then put your little hand in mine.”
“Then put your little hand in mine.” “Then put your little hand in mine.” (Poor Phil!)
No, winter comes and winter goes. Spring arrives! In non-nature terms winter is that dry season that we can’t wait for it to be over. What’s the worst winter you’ve ever had? Phil Connors had a pretty rough season when the same day came over and over and over again. (Phil and the lyrics above are from Groundhog Day. Is it too late for Groundhog Day humor? Maybe, but it’s never too early or late for repetitive humor. It’s never too early or late for repetitive humor.) His winter was pretty excruciating and it’s of course fictional, but it pales in comparison to the worst winter ever!
For a moment, take a trip back over 2,000 years ago. You’re a disciple. Jesus is dead. Your king, your Savior, and your Hope – is gone. And not just yours – the Hope for all of eternity and the Savior of the world – dead! All is lost. Darkness reigns. There is nothing left to look to – Hope has forever died!
Everything that the disciples had staked their lives and souls on was dead! Death for Jesus was death for them all. Not a physical death at that moment, but a death in every other sense of the word.
The disciples now resided in utter barrenness and blackness – there was nothing left. Winter – the coldest, harshest, and bleakest winter to ever cover the earth had now permanently arrived.
It was over! It was all over!
The disciples did not have the luxury of wondering when spring would arrive. They were not hoping for another season. They knew spring would never come again. They knew life was lost forever. They knew the truth. Jesus was dead. It was finished. Death had won. Sin had won. Evil had won. It would be that way forever. Yes, the disciples faced the worst “winter” to ever cover the earth.
Then He rose!
Jesus could not remain in that tomb. He was alive! Death’s sting could not last. Sin was vanquished. Evil was cast aside! Jesus was alive. Jesus is alive! I cannot fathom in my being how terrible, barren, and bleak those three days could have been. Jesus, being there before the earth was even made, was for the first time in all eternity gone.
An infinite God halted eternity and was removed for three days. Hope was literally gone.
We have moments where it seems all hope is lost – but it isn’t. For the disciples, hope truly was lost. There was no hope. Hope died on that cross.
We face winters of various degrees and we wonder when spring will come. If it ever will! Take heart – there is hope. Hope is alive. Sin, death, and the grave have no power over us. Your winter may not be easy, but rest assured spring will come! At just the right moment and at just the right time, spring will come. That’s how God prefers to work anyway – He shows up at the very last possible second. That’s where He receives the most glory!
No matter how long your winter is – take comfort in knowing that it could never be as bad as what the disciples lived through. They lived through the longest winter on record. They lived while hope was dead. We never will. Hope is alive and He always will be.
Your spring is coming – new life is on its way!!
Looking forward to spring,
Randall