Just consider how devastating a winter season can be; it’s a wonder that anything can grow after what may seem like countless months of cold stillness. Yet every springtime, we get to witness the miracle of nature as it conquers snow, ice and inhabitable freezing temperatures to give birth to new life year after year.
When you look at it this way, spring is a refreshing reminder that nature will always overcome adversity, isn’t it? The fresh smell of blooming blossoms in the air, the gentle wind blowing through our hair and the bright sun shining down warming our souls is invigorating. Especially after a long, dark winter!
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Eternal Winter
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest.
~ John 12:24
Spring also carries with it the not-too-distant memory of the death and darkness that typically shape a winter season. For some, although the life cycle continues all around them as shades of green grass spring up and baby birds cry out for their morning feeding, they are unable to shake off the “frost” and end up living what may seem like an eternal winter of the soul. Something, or someone perhaps, was taken away from them and the “death” associated with this experience has defined their utter existence. Being emotionally and mentally frozen they are unable, they think, to ever bud forth and be released from this harsh reality ever again.
For many, the setbacks of not seeing their hopes, ambitions and plans fulfilled create a sense of despair and leave them utterly discouraged. It is too overwhelming, they think, to try again and give it another shot. Whether it was a heart-wrenching divorce or a business venture that went sour, the losses that they have experienced are oftentimes so tragic that most will never reach their true potential and will live in the shadow of these adversities for the rest of their lives.
Yet, regardless of what they think or how they feel, this powerful simple truth remains:
It IS possible for them to overcome and to experience the hope and vibrant light of their youth once again!
To find out how, they need to look no further than to the very seeds on the ground…
Blooming Out Of Winter Seasons
Taking Jesus as The Great Example, the only way to bloom out of this winter season is to allow the death of winter to have its perfect work within you. When Jesus told His disciples that a kernel of wheat is relatively useless (unless it dies, germinates, and produces many more seeds) He was speaking of Himself embracing His destiny to die on the cross.
And it is the same path that we must walk. Like Christ, the journey to the Abundant Life begins when we die to ourselves and let God reshape our dreams and goals to fit His purposes. In no other way can the deepest desires of our hearts be fulfilled. In the words of Oswald Chambers, if we allow Him to complete this perfect work in us,
“He will make us broken bread and poured-out wine with which to feed and nourish others.”
Live a Life Worth Living
And herein lies the secret to the purpose-driven Abundant Life. A life worth living is not lived for ourselves but is spent joyfully blessing everyone around us and being a source of life and light for those who are trapped in the darkness of winter. You see, it is only by going through our own winter season experiences, that we can help others go through theirs!
Endure the winter season and have hope, knowing that spring is just around the corner. If you overcome and fail not, the death you experience will surely give birth to a rich harvest in the souls of the people around you. Keeping this in mind, don’t give up when things seem unbearable, because YOU may be the ONLY source of hope for someone who has none left over.
