Winter in the Midwest can be brutal. By this time in the season, those of us living here are in survival mode. We bundle up in layers of clothes, scrape our cars while they warm up and then pray that we don’t slide off the road or flatten a tire in a pothole on the way to work. I am convinced that Valentine’s Day was placed in the middle of February simply to cheer up those of us tired of waking up to yet another wintery mix of cold weather. Change is on the way but we can’t quite feel it yet.
The promise of Spring is right around the corner. Only a little over a month until it’s officially here. The sun is shining a bit longer every day, giving us a hint of what’s to come. I long for the fresh greens and brilliant yellows of early growth replacing the browns and grays of the winter landscape. When I walk out with only a sweater or jacket, then I know Spring has truly arrived. After such a long wait, the burst of color and warmth surprises me with its suddenness.
How often have I experienced seasons of winter in my lifetime? I recall long periods of time when I lived in survival mode, waiting for relief from bleak situations that I thought would never end. Prayers lifted to heaven returned with no immediate answers. The Lord whispered in my heart, “Change is on the way,” but years passed before I could see it.
When I least expected it, a wave of warmth broke into my winter. A chance meeting during a class at church led to new love after six years of singleness following a divorce. Two years of a toxic work environment ended when a new job opportunity suddenly became available. After long periods of waiting, my life changed dramatically in a moment. Beauty and color washed over the bleak and drab of my world. Hope became reality.
Everyone of us experiences times of darkness when it feels like our situation will never change. During my own dark days, I hang on to the words of the Lord through his prophet Isaiah. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now, it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”1
Even though you may not see it now, change is on the way. The time may not be right yet, but take heart. God is working behind the scenes, making a way in your wilderness. In the meantime, don’t let your past hold you down. Keep doing the right thing where you are even though things don’t feel right. Be patient in prayer, asking others to pray for you too.
Change like Spring is coming. Can you not perceive it?
1Isaiah 43:18-19
