Meteorologically speaking we are now in the season of Spring. The long awaited season of longer days and more sunshine. Spring flowers such as daffodils, crocus and primulas put on a spectacular show of colour giving us all a lift if we just take a moment to look.
Winter can seem so long and dreary. But it is a season when things are happening, things that we cannot see. Plants and spring bulbs are doing their thing under the ground in preparation for this time of the year. We just can’t see those things happening as they’re buried under the soil. The sap of plants begin to rise, again unseen, until we see buds breaking forth from our trees and shrubs and plants.
Our lives can be very much like that with seasons. For many of us we may be in a winter season. The season is dark, it looks bleak, nothing seems to be happening. That season can last an awful long time for some of us. Yes, there may be glimmers of brightness and hope like a lovely crisp sunny day in the middle of winter. But it can seem fleeting, just momentary and then we’re plunged back into the bleak, dark times, the fog moves in and we wonder where we’re going in life.
Jesus says something amazing about nature in relation to His death.
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.” John 12:24 NLT
Burying a seed in the soil, in darkness will produce life. Just as His death brought about life eternal for those who believe and follow.
We will all put on a new body one day. But first this current body that we carry about has to die first.
“But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”
You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed it’s own body.” 1 Cor 15 ESV
In our own lives we have experienced loss like death. Death isn’t just when someone’s heart stops even though Nathanael’s did, twice. Death is very much the end of something. Divorce is death. Trauma is death. Grief is death. The big question is what is that death going to produce? For us it sometime feels like it may not produce anything except hardship, stress, ongoing trauma and perhaps that’s what it feels like for so many people who endure death in some shape or form.
When Jesus died many people would have wept at the tragic loss of a son, a friend, a rabbi, a leader. Scripture doesn’t explicitly say that but infers it and you would expect it. John 19:25.
Little did they know or even expect in spite of Him telling them that He would raise to life three days later to bring about the promised victory over death and sin. Hallelujah!
Many of us like the early disciples don’t expect much to come forth from death, from loss, from trauma etc. However, I need to remind myself that God is in the business of bringing order out of chaos, life out of death and hope out of despair. Is God about to do something in our lives through our tragic event to bring about good and to bring about hope and life to benefit not just ourselves but those whom we encounter in the coming days, months and years ahead. Of course He has been working right from day one and He is still working, wanting to produce more and more fruitfulness in our lives. That’s my prayer, that just as Spring has sprung, so something new and fresh will spring forth life in our situation and yours too.
These things can take time, sometimes a very long time. But God is not in a hurry just as nature is not in a hurry. Everything has to take its course in order, in the right time for things to be ready to come into glory.
Yes, there will continue to be pain in our hearts, there will still be hardship, those things continue but God can still bring about good, bring about life even in the midst of those feelings.
Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank You that with You there is always hope even in the darkest valley. Help us and help those who feel that this is a very long season of darkness and despair to know that You want to do something and are more than wiling to bring it to pass in Your time. Thank you for all the signs of life around us as we marvel at Your wonderful creation. May we draw encouragement from that. Amen.
Thank you