Spring has sprung!

It’s been a bit of a strange spring.  After having a relatively easy winter we entered spring and had some of our worst snow storms of the season.  While the Weather Channel can give us an explanation of the meteorological reasons we who are followers of Jesus can give a simpler one-God is in control!
 
If you are one of the ones who was frustrated (like me, I’m a track coach and wanted to be getting outside) there were a couple things we can take from this experience that can help with our walk with God.
 
First, spring did come. It may have seemed like it wouldn’t but as I look outside I see the flowers poking through the ground, the leaves starting to bud on trees and the birds sing (plus I killed my first mosquito last night-that’s a product of the fall, we won’t talk about that today!!). Spring has arrived as we knew it would.
 
God arrives as well despite how difficult the winter of our lives may get. He said: “I will never leave you or abandon you” (Joshua 1:5) and this was confirmed again in Hebrews 13:5.  Just like we know spring will come even though we don’t know when, we know that God will come as well, we just don’t know when.  In the movie adaption of the book The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, at the end Aslan, who represents Jesus, quietly leaves from the grand celebration of his victory.  Lucy, the young heroine speaks to Mr. Tumnus the Fawn who is her friend. 
Don’t worry, we’ll see him again,” Tumnus encourages the sad girl.
“When?” Lucy asks hopefully.
“In time. One day he’ll be here and the next he won’t, but you mustn’t press him,” the fawn replies, “because he is not a tame lion.”
“But he is good,” says Lucy realizing the true power and love she has experienced with in Aslan.
 
God is good but he is not tame.
 
That’s the first thought.
 
The second is like spring blooming victorious there is a future glorious resurrection.  When Jesus stood before the tomb of his dear friend Lazarus and comforted his grieving sister he told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25)
 
For we who believe though our bodies may die we will live forever.
 
He then went on to raise Lazarus back to life. But for we who believe there is a magnificent resurrection coming where, like Jesus on Easter Sunday, we will be resurrected perfect, without spot or blemish, without cancer, disease and live in a world without strife, war or suffering.  Spring comes out of winter permanently.
 
But we have a part to play in this.
 
After Jesus shared those thoughts with Lazarus’ sister, he then finished with: “Do you believe this?” That’s our part, believe and live. And the sad reality is, just like in the story of Narnia under the White Witch, if we don’t believe, it will always be winter and spring will never come because God is not tame, but he is very good.
 
As promised, no matter how bad things get, spring will come.  Believe and live!