Spring

Let me tell you about a typical Canadian "spring" day I experienced.  Walked to school in the sunshine; walked home in a snowstorm... but the sun was still shining.  On the way home I saw both a (yes, a - single, one) car covered in snow (all others weren't), and the first tinge of green in the partially snow covered grass.  A typically Albertan Spring day... winter and summer, dying and living, both alive in the same moment.  To those not from here, it seems impossible.    

Spring has been hard coming this year in Alberta... unseasonably cold with lots of snow (For emphasis, I'm still working on this post April 14th and we got another dump of snow today... and again now that it's the 24th).  In fact, it can be hard to believe that Spring is coming at all.  But I have faith that it is coming, for spring has followed every winter that has come before.  Because of this faith, I can see signs everywhere that winter is about to give way to new life.  I see it in longer days, buds forming on dead branches, and grass that offers a tinge of colour.  I can even see it in big wet snowflakes.   All circumstances further strengthen my hope because every minute sign announcing spring's arrival is met with anticipation, and these sightings in turn build my faith that it will be here soon.  It is a wonderful positive feedback system.

However, it's made me think ... I wish that I believed in God the way that I believe in Spring.

The truth is, He is more impending than the seasons, more reliable than the sun, and more faithful than the birds that return year after year.  

Though I feel the exploration of this idea is far from finished, I also feel like it's time to post anyways... But I do want to say that I am thankful for a Son that shines in the storms.