Springtime is an odd season. We feel the warmth of the air on our faces. We see the budding plants in the ground. Our grass gradually turns green under the diminishing piles of snow.
Then it rains for a few days and we feel betrayed, alone and lost. We look through water-soaked windows at gray skies and there is nothing to renew us. Suddenly the rain stops, the skies start to clear and the sun is the most wonderful thing we have ever seen.
Imagine the feeling Noah and his family had when they walked out of the ark after 40 days of rain and countless days waiting for the waters to subside. They were so grateful that they built an altar, thanked God and worshipped Him. God saw that even though Noah was just a man, he was a good man. The depression of the weeks of rain did nothing to deter him from his faithfulness to God. God knew that from that time, He wouldn’t have to destroy the whole earth again. God saw that mankind, with all its failings and flaws, could remain faithful in even the darkest times. God has promised that we will have change of seasons. There will still be snow and rain; cold and heat. There will always be tornadoes and hurricanes. But we trust that there will be day after night. We need to be patient and faithful and we will be blessed.
The band Disturbed has a song, “The Light,” and the chorus goes:
When you think all is forsaken listen to me now.
You need never feel broken again.
Sometimes darkness can show you the light.
Like Noah and his family, we will triumph over anything that could defeat us, because we know that God is with us. In the end, we will see that it is not the hard times that define us, but the grace and faith we maintain while we get through those times.
For reflection:
- What is the darkest time you have had, and how did you find the light after?
- If you shared that darkness with others, did they fare as well? Did you have to show them the light?
- Preparing for the Resurrection, do you feel the darkness closing in, waiting for the One True Light to overcome?
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