Monday Encouragement

A couple of weeks ago Al and I drove up to the mountains where we used to live.  The purpose of the trip was taking care of some business about his parents' mountain house, but the bonus of the trip was the chance to enjoy the beauty of the mountains in spring.

When we lived there, I so looked forward to spring each year.  Winters in the mountains are often long and hard, and sometimes seem as if they will never end.  But at the end of the long, cold, harsh winter comes a beautiful spring.  Plants that seemed dead come to life again and even flourish.

My favorites were always the rhododendron.  Many times, before winter ended, I would be convinced they would never bloom again, and each spring I was proven wrong.

Perhaps plants need to go through these really hard winters in order to flourish in the spring.

I think these plants provide a life lesson for us.  Perhaps, like the plants that surrounded my home in the mountains, we too need hard winters in order to fully blossom in the spring.  Just as the plant experienced the difficult winter and then thrived in spring as a result, we can come out on the other side of our difficult winters with beautiful blossoms as well.

If you're experiencing a difficult season, let that be an encouragement to you today.

"But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold." 
(Job 23:10 NASB)