Groundhog Day came and went yesterday without much fanfare.
Maybe it’s because it followed on the tails of Superbowl Sunday.
Maybe it’s because it’s depressing in some parts of the country to be reminded that there are still six weeks until spring and in other parts of the country it’s just ridiculous to think it’s still winter when experiencing 70 degree weather.
And maybe it’s because whether the Groundhog sees his shadow or not, spring will just come when it does.
We can’t bribe the Groundhog.
We can’t manipulate a shadow.
It just is what it is.
But whether it comes early or late, spring always arrives, a welcome friend dressed in the glory of budding and blooming. Green peeks through brown. Warmth melts the residual traces of winter, and with no effort on our part, our spirits are lifted.
The sun has come through once again.
In the dead of winter, we trust this process, this eventual reality. We know that winter can’t and won’t last forever. We’re aware of the necessity of winter to allow things to die off so they can come back revived. To allow a time of hibernation for plants and wildlife before a fresh season of activity and new life begins.
As buds form on trees and chirping birds grace us with their songs, we are reminded.
The sun has come through once again.
Are you experiencing a season of life that feels more like the dead of winter than the warmth of spring? Are you aching for the “groundhog” to pop up and tell you that spring is coming early, that this phase is nearly over? Are you struggling to remember what the “sun” even looks like in the dark spots of your world?
I know that place well.
So let me encourage you with this:
The SON will come through once again.
Winter will not last forever. Lean into His warmth while you are experiencing the cold. Hibernate in His unfailing faithfulness and His promises for your “hope and a future”. His loving arms will hold you until spring arrives. Not too early. Not too late.
JUST IN TIME. RIGHT ON TIME.
Don’t fight winter’s reality. It serves a purpose. Signs of new life are getting ready to emerge, to burst out in new songs of growth and beauty. He is at work in and around you. Nothing, nothing, nothing is in vain in this season.
The SON will come through once again.
Every. Single. Time….
Isaiah 43:19 – Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Psalm 104:30 – When you send your Spirit, new life is born to replenish all the living of the earth.
Psalm 119:107 – I have suffered much, O LORD; restore my life again as you promised.
Psalm 103:1-5 – Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
