After months of cold, dry winter days, the spring air has finally filled the atmosphere in Collegedale, Tennessee. The wind feels warm and refreshing. The vines bloom above the courtyard, and friends laugh together as they eat lunch outside. One can’t help but smile.
Song of Solomon 2:11-12 captures this feeling perfectly, “For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”
When the winter months drag on and on, I often think about the past springs I took for granted; the wonderful, warm days that I spent inside, or complained about the allergies. The wait is hard, but spring never fails to come every year. James 5:7 says, “Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.”
The world we live in today is growing more and more evil. Every day awful headlines blare across the news: school shootings, corrupt politicians, crazy diseases, kidnappings, murders, and so much more. At times, it seems like these events will never cease. But do not fear, the winter is ending soon, Jesus is coming back to take us away from the pain and evil this world provides. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing” (Isaiah 35:1).