The new year may begin in the dead of winter on January 1st, but nature follows a different rhythm. During spring and Easter, the earth comes back to life. The days get longer, the time changes and we gratefully accept the prolonged periods of sunshine. The trees that were dead gain new life as they begin to bud and blossom, and the hills in east Contra Costa County turn green after receiving the much-needed rain.
Easter teaches us that Jesus overcame death and the grave through his resurrection. Spring teaches us that same lesson- what seems dead still has capacity for life. What seems hopeless in our lives, is often just a period of winter. There is work happening in the places we can’t see and in the periods we don’t understand. While everything might seem dead around us, life is waiting to spring forth again- it’s only a matter of time.
The bible teaches:
“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22
It’s remarkable when we slow down long enough to ponder it, that even in our darkest days, there is always hope. Life is guaranteed to change. No bad thing will last forever. Spring is waiting.
As you celebrate this Easter weekend with your family, our hope for you is that you embrace the new life of this season. We hope that you will see the hard situations in your own life with fresh eyes. We hope that you will see the community around you with new eyes, and see all the ways life is springing up (for instance, we celebrated 5,000 showers at our mobile shower program!).
One of life’s greatest gifts is hope, and we hope you experience it in abundance.