Spring Always Comes
As I write, it is Holy Saturday. The time when Jesus was in the grave. His followers were probably shocked, frightened, and deeply saddened. Everything they had hoped for and expected in their Rabbi, was crushed. What was it all for...the parables, the miracles, the initial "Follow me"? All that was ending like this, leaving them as the rogue followers of the dead self-proclaimed King of the Jews? I can't imagine their lament.
This day is one of great value to us as Christians. We spend much of our lives thinking one thing of Jesus, expecting that when we love him, serve him, seek relationship with him, all will go well for us...you know, Romans 8:28 and all that? Therefore, he will answer all our prayers the way we want. And then...a child dies, disease strikes, bad things happen to good people. Our faith is shaken. Why have we invested in this relationship for so long, and he just leaves us hanging like that? We want what we want, we want it now, and we feel like...what? We deserve it? We sat on our pew and checked our boxes and turned the other cheek and did nice things for people, and now it's his turn and we hear crickets?
That sounds harsh I know, but if we are honest, it's kind of on the nose. It doesn't occur to us that the "good" He works together is in His definition, not ours. If something drastic enough happens in our life, somehow the immeasurable good, sometimes miraculous things we've learned, experienced and seen with our own eyes, go out the window and we question everything. Some of us can be more patient than others, keep the faith and say the right words. But deep, deep down, as we would with someone we love who doesn't show up when we need them most, we feel disappointed, maybe even betrayed. It's a hard place to be, and no one likes to sit and wait. Whatever we do in this time of waiting, we need to be reminded that God still has a plan, He's still here, and if we feel distant from him, He is not the one who moved. Even as we sit in our darkness, He is at work.
I heard a quote recently that was something like, no matter how long, how hard, or how cold the winter has been, Spring always comes. Your time of waiting may be much longer than it took for Jesus' followers to see him risen. But trust this, He is at work. He hasn't forgotten you. He still says, "Follow me." As much as you can, lay your questions and disappointment at his feet and ask him what he has for you while you wait. Continue to follow him and trust that He has not forgotten you. He just has a bigger plan than you can understand right now.
Like it is when a child wants a cookie before dinner, and the parents say no because they know that they're taking him for ice cream after dinner. He is still sad, and they hate that he's sad, but they know how happy he will be in a very short time. It's a simplistic example, but accurate nonetheless. There is something much better that awaits us, possibly in this part of life, definitely in the next, eternal part of our life with Him. Our Father does not disappoint. Something wonderful awaits. Spring always comes. Sunday is right around the corner. His return is imminent.
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