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I hate wet feet. And
during this time of year, I am threatened with cold, wet feet quite often. March is a transition month, taking us from
winter to spring. In New Jersey, though,
the transition is not always evident.
Cold, grey, and wet weather often continues through March in a most discouraging
manner. Most of us keep going, bolstered
by the hope of Spring.
It seems to me that this is yet another illustration of
faith and the hope that only faith can generate. According to the author of Hebrews, faith is
the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen. When we trudge through the slush in March, we
can be hopeful because we know that regardless of appearances to the contrary,
warm and sunny weather is ahead. Even
though we cannot see that warm and sunny weather, our experience with past
springs has provided us with enough evidence to give us confidence that Spring
will come.
Our spiritual lives are not so different from the way we
deal with the weather. There are
“Marches” in our spiritual lives—times of transition, times that are dreary and
discouraging. But because we know a
loving, faithful, and sovereign God, we can be confident that He will redeem
our trials and bring glory and joy out of our struggles. As we experience and remember God’s
faithfulness in our lives, we can have hope in hardship not because we are
particularly strong and capable, but because our lives are in the hands of a
redeeming God. May we encourage one
another in the “Marches” of our lives.
