It is not just that spring will come, but God will bring it.

When we moved into our house in Memphis in the dead heat of an August summer, it was so hot and humid, the only visible movement came from ceiling fans.  The yard had been neglected for some time, and we knew from the onset there was a lot of outside work to do.  The backyard was dominated by an enormous overgrown bush of unknown origin, planted oddly enough, front and center, as if not to be ignored.  It was big, green, and ugly, and, well, someday, it was going to have to go.  As in any move, urgent changes must take a number and stand in line. The bush would have to wait.

Little did we know.

At the end of February, green shoots began emerging from the ground.  The trees budded.  And then, as in a spectacular theatrical event, the curtain went up, and overnight, spring arrived.  No place on earth does spring like Memphis, Tennessee.  There are no words invented in all the world to describe its beauty.

And that ugly bush in the backyard?  We witnessed before our eyes a spiritual transformation.  For weeks every year, it was covered with thousands of hot pink blossoms, as if dressing up in Easter finery.  We gained a new appreciation for azaleas, the homecoming queen of the South.  That which we could not fathom took us by surprise.

Where we live now in the northland, it is already the second day of April, and the grass is still brown, the trees still bare, and little patches of tired snow cling to corners of the driveway and patio. There is an abandoned sled, forlorn and homeless in the field next door.  We wait.  It is that time, a little late by our desires.  But the season is about to change.  And despite appearances, the trees and ground are more alive than ever, standing on the starting line, ready to burst forth into a full-color display, a thousand shades of newness that, every year, takes my breath away.

But it doesn't just happen.

God created seasons, so reliable, that we mark these times of annual change on our calendars and revolve our schedules around what He does every year.  And even those who don't believe in Him expect the seasons to change, each one distinguished from the others, one emerging from the next.  That what we take for granted is an event of the greatest complexity and divine design.  That we would know Him more.

It is not just that spring will come, but God will bring it. 


You have fixed all the bounds of the earth;
You have made summer and winter.

                           Psalm 74.17