Winter No More

28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
   ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
   bring an offering, and come before him.
Worship the Lord in holy splendor; 
30   tremble before him, all the earth.
   The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. 
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
   and let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king!’ 
32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
   let the field exult, and everything in it. 
33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
   before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. 
34 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
   for his steadfast love endures for ever. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:28-34

What a LONGGGGG winter we have had.  I just heard the cutest comments in an ad on the radio about what people may have done or said this winter from being held captive by the cold and snow for so long.  One man in the ad stated that he had knocked the head off of the neighbor's snowman, because he felt it was looking at him!  Another was a woman saying she made not so nice comments to the weatherman while he gave the weather forecast on TV (and in person).  This ad went on to say that, now that the weather is warming up, they can invite the neighbor and weatherman over for a barbecue.  

I tuned out of the message at that point, with other things on my mind.  I saw the grass turning greener and the leaf buds on the trees beginning to swell.  The crocuses on the church grounds are blooming and my tulips and daffodils are poking through the ground.  Spring is coming, although not as soon as I had wanted after this past winter.  I am beginning to see the glory of God springing forth with new life once again.  I rejoice that better weather is around the corner and I am finally seeing the first glimpses of it in these few signs of blooming and growth. 

How often do we grumble and groan about where our life is at present or what we are having to go through that others do not?  How do we rejoice during the good times?  Do we tend to treat others with disdain when we are not happy and then turn around and celebrate happy times with them later?  It is so very typical of human nature to do just that.  God's people rejoiced in seeing Christ riding in on a donkey to Jerusalem, thinking that He was going to save them from the tyranny of Rome.  They turned on Him in a matter of just a few days, when they realized that He was not going to save them as They thought He would.  They jeered and mocked him - calling for His crucifixion just days after lauding Him as their King!  After seeing His risen form, his disciples proclaimed to all who would hear that Christ is still alive and has made a way for us to God and eternal life if we repent and believe in Him.  We again can celebrate this new life offered freely to us all.

Jesus has overcome the ultimate end called "death" and has broken a new path to eternal life.  We are no longer judged by what we have repented of, for Christ paid for those sins long ago.  We just need to remember to praise Him for all He has done for us and declare Him the King of our lives - serving Him wherever He leads us - and not continue in our old ways, which continue to bring Him heartache for those He loves so dearly.  With Christ, our "winters" are over, for we will inherit the the eternal life that will "spring" from our faith in Jesus.

Prayer

Dearest Lord Jesus,Thank you for all you have given us - the beauty of the earth, the ever-renewing life around us, and most importantly, for saving us from death through Your overcoming death on a cross so that we can one day join You in heaven, praising our Heavenly Father for all eternity.  Amen.

~ Wendy Miller