It has been weeks since I've seen the sun for more than a few minutes, but today's sky is unashamedly naked, promising hours of light, warmth and...the essential Vitamin D! (that was for YOU, Bobber) Makes me realize how much the absence of a thing causes us to long for it all the more and magnifies our appreciation of it upon its return.
How much would we long for Spring if there were no Winter? The more prolonged and severe the Winter, the more intensely we desire Spring with its increased light, warmth, and pledges of new life. Would we be compelled to meditate on and revel in the glories of Spring if not for the contrast of Winter's darkness and death?
Like every created reality, the seasons teach us wisdom about our Creator, about ourselves, and about the circumstances of life.
We learn that our Creator is reliable and predictable.
We learn that we are inclined to grumble about Winter even though we KNOW, from years of experience, that Spring will inevitably come!
We learn that in the seasons of our lives, we will not be abandoned to eternal winter. The promise of Spring teaches us to hope rather than despair in times of darkness, to remember that death is a necessary prerequisite to life, to wait patiently for the life that will follow death.
Think how much our joy would be diminished if we never experienced its converse. The one informs and shapes the other. Even though the seasons of life are not as rhythmic and predictable as the those of nature, we must not fail to draw and learn from the parallels.
Death then resurrection. Darkness then light. Sorrow then joy. Mourning then dancing.
So take heart! In nature and in life...a season of refreshment is drawing near!
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