One of the podcasts I enjoy listening to is by Gospel singer songwriter Christy Nockels, and this week she spoke about the beauty of spring.
Growing up in the Philippines never really afforded me the beauty of spring and the understanding of how significant shifting seasons are but if there is any country in the world that understands coming out of darkness to see a ray of light beckoning us to move forward, it is my motherland, the Philippines.
The country has survived storms both in the literal and metaphorical sense and the reason why it was easy for me to relate the shifting of seasons to the country that only boasts of two seasons.
Christy asked a question so thought provoking that I ended up writing about it for this week’s column, “What would you take from your winter into the spring? What are you emerging from?” And I knew that this wasn’t a question about trees blossoming or flowers blooming – this was a question about our souls.
Whether you come from a country with four seasons or a tropical country with only two, all our lives have specific seasons. Just like what is said in Ecclesiastes, we are constantly reminded that God has an ample time for things – a time to plant, a time to sow, a time to say hello, and a time to bid goodbye.
When we go through dark times and periods of loss, we are faced with our winter seasons – a season when all is dark and where nothing seems to go right. When the sun doesn’t seem to shine and when we are left with nothing but our faith. We hold on to our faith, to the anchor of our souls, and we believe that no matter how dark or how cold it gets, a new season will emerge.
When my brother and I go through difficult times (surprisingly so we do at the same time, I’d like to believe we are twins, born five years apart), we always remind each other that unlike the weather seasons, life’s seasons could change in an instant. We can go sleep to the coldest winter of our lives and awaken to the first day of spring. This is the faith that keeps us going – tomorrow could be our lives’ first day of spring.
And yet, Christy was right, we must never forget the lessons of winter. Because just like the flowers, it is in the winter that we dig deep into the depths of who we are, the winter is what allows us to bloom because despite not seeing anything happening on the outside, we are being prepared underneath, in the ground where no one sees.
Winter would be useless if we do not remain true to the roots that have allowed us to grow in the winter. Spring can only be thoroughly enjoyed if we truly grow and winter allows that – it allows us to grow into a more beautiful version of ourselves only if we remember the days of cold for this is what keeps us grounded.
Spring is so beautiful – both literally and metaphorically. There’s a new sense of reawakening and it gives us hope, the first blooms always give me hope because it means that there is greater joy ahead only if we remain faithful in our winter, spring always comes.
What would you take with you this Spring? What are you emerging from?
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