Early in the week, tornadoes and bad weather plagued this area of the state. I didn’t see a twister or any damage inflicted by the natural disasters, but I stood beneath the gray and watched as lighting perforated the bleak, eerie sky. I felt the ground reverberate as I listened to the roaring sound of thunder. Staring into the endless oblivion of the storm, I couldn’t imagine how the sun could ever shine again. How could a world that currently seemed so dark and cold ever muster up the likes of a crystal clear blue sky, fluffy clouds that resemble cotton balls and marshmallow cream, or a sun bright enough to provide light even to the darkest corners of the world?

There’s a striking resemblance between weather and the human life. We have storms much like the ones we witnessed recently, where it seems as if nothing will ever get better. It seems almost as if a second flood is coming, until finally, when it’s all said and done, we see pastures renewed and refreshed. We see the living shades of green all around, and our crops are blessedly plentifully.

We have the raging thunders of constant turmoil. It seems during these times, the bark is so much bigger than the bite. We hear the noise around us and it continues to nag and nag at us, stealing our sleep and crushing our spirit. Thankfully, we know that joy comes in the morning and the storm has once again subsided.
We have monotony of the overcast. This is my forecast right now. I feel as if I go through the motions day after day. Not a bad day, not a good day. Just life… but I know there has to be more.

We have the hope of a springtime shower. One of nature’s most beautiful phenomenons is to walk into a springtime shower. Warm water splashes, new life is born, and flowers begin to emerge from beneath the soil.

We, of course, have the joy of a bright, sun shining day; the moments we look forward to and never want to go away.

Like the weather changes, so do the seasons of life. We will inevitably find ourselves in the midst of dark, disheartening times where the forecast seems terminal. Don’t lose hope, my friends, He makes all things new. In order to get the sunshine, we have to put up with a little rain.

“You have a way of turning winter to spring. Make something beautiful out of all this suffering.” – Nicol Sponberg