"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:1-6This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. This past weekend there was little or no sign of life on the trees. Now some of them have little tufts of leaves, and others are filling in. By this coming weekend there will be color everywhere. Each day brings major change. I love how the brown gives way to a faint green, which brightens and fills in, and then gradually mellows into the deep, cool shades of summer.
Every year at this time, I find myself thinking of hope. Those lifeless branches of winter have actually been nourishing the life that would erupt at just the right time into the beauty of spring. They always do. While God's love is unchanging, he created seasons for us to remind us that after winter comes spring. Our lives are ever-changing, but even suffering leads to hope.
2 comments:
This is a great post, Tracy. I love the pictures, and the expression of joyful hope that you are remembering with the beauty of new life!
Tracy, it is also my favorite time of the year. I think mine spreads more over a month though. It starts when the little buds show up on the bushes and trees and continues through to the time that the blossoms fall off the fruit trees. I am just amazed at each step of the process - amazed at God's idea of beauty and life.
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