Spring Showers and Flowers

Every spring, I look forward to driving around Texas. Everywhere along the roadsides, brightly hued wildflowers color the landscape with shades of yellow, orange, pink, and blue. This year they popped up in early March, before many parts of the country had even seen their last snowfall. Lucky us!

Standing in a field of bluebonnets, basking in the warm sunshine and taking in the wonder of nature’s palette, it’s easy to forget what preceded all of this beauty: winter and rain. All that cold and dampness had been hiding something special—seeds underground, just waiting to burst forth once the frost was gone. And the more it has rained, the more flowers bloom.

During tough times in our lives, which can feel like eternal winter at times, we long for spring to come. We want to experience life in full-color again, feeling renewed and revived. How often do we forget, though, that first a little rain must fall?

While we wait impatiently during that “thawing out” period, God is working behind the scenes, preparing us for what is to come, by sending us rain. While we may experience it as gray and drizzly stagnation or a flooding downpour of trials to wade through, God knows He is providing the spiritual nourishment we need to grow and bloom.

To experience revival in our lives, we need to remember that, just like in nature, springtime brings showers before the flowers. Be patient and don’t give up! A beautiful display of God’s power is on the way.

“And patience produces character, and character produces hope.” Romans 5:4 (NCV)

“For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” Matthew 5:45 (NLT)