What Winter Teaches Me About God

Enough already.

It's nearly March. I'm ready for sunshine, green grass, and longer days. I'm tired of winter coats, hats, gloves, and snow-covered boots leaving a wet trail across the floor. I long for warm rains to thaw the frozen earth. It's time for God's paintbrush to come out and add some color to this plain white and dirty brown landscape. I'm ready for Spring.

But nooo . . . What do we have, and have to look forward to over the next week? Below zero temperatures, inches of snow, biting winds, and, to top it off, maybe some ice. Thank you, Winter. You may leave now.

Waiting for Spring is like waiting on God.

Oh yes, this is the lesson. And I don't like it. Not one bit. I am ready for Spring to come. I don't want to wait any longer. If I had my way, we'd be cutting grass next week. The flowers would be blooming, the garden would be growing, and we'd all be running around in shorts. I want it, and I want it now. No, I don't want to pull forward and wait for my order to come out. I'll wait right here, thank you very much.

But it doesn't work that way, does it? Just as I cannot order Spring at my whim and desire, nor can I pull up to God's drive-thru and expect speedy service. To get what I want, I have to go through the process. I live in Illinois. I know the seasons. Fall, then Winter, Spring, and finally, Summer. It's the same every year. And every year, about this time, I start wishing it would change. Kind of like when I am praying about something, and God seems to be taking His sweet time answering. I know He knows what He's doing, but really, God, could you speed things up a little?

But when it finally gets here . . .

Oh the joy! That first 70 degree day . . . It's like a taste of heaven. The warm sunshine feels sooo good. The grass will look greener than it has ever been. The flowers will seem brighter than last year, and the smells--so fresh, so clean, so . . . new.

And that's what Winter has taught me about God. Not that He is slow to answer, but that His timing is perfect. Spring will come when the time is right. God will answer when He is ready. And in both, my joy will be the greater for having waited.

What do you look forward to in Spring?

For those who live in places with perpetual warmth--May God bless you and make His face shine upon you. That's not what I really want to say, of course. But it sounds better than, "Don't even think about saying how it's been 70 degrees for months there in Sunny City."

For the rest of you, whose noses are frostbitten and lips chapped like mine, what do you most look forward to as the weather warms?