Submitted by Pastor Brad Dush, Fairfax United Methodist Church

I know I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, we have hit the longest part of the year. We are in the vast in-between time from Christmas to Easter. The weather is cold, and the wind can cut through the warmest coat. The days are short, and the nights are long. In fact, while I was in front of my computer in the warm embrace of my cardigan sweater, my computer saw fit to pop a picture of the beach from our last beach vacation. I couldn’t help myself; I stuck my tongue out at the computer and booed it! There always seem to be so many days this time of the year, and technically it houses the shortest month. These days, it does well to remember some encouragement from God’s word.

The first encouragement is Genesis 8:22, “As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” This final verse of the eighth chapter serves as a reminder from God that the world will keep turning until it doesn’t. God had flooded the earth, and He promised to “never again curse the ground because of the human race” (Genesis 8:21). For me, the verse is a reminder that the season we are in, no matter how long it seems or has been will not last forever, the next season will come. Whether we are talking about the year’s seasons or our lives, I believe that is true. The short cold days and long cold nights will give way to warm, long days and warm, short nights. With God, we can and will get through the season in whatever form. That is where the second encouragement shines.

The second encouragement is Romans 5:5, “And this hope (confident hope of salvation) will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” How wonderful is it to know the season of life we are in, whether physical or spiritual, will not last forever, but it is even more wonderful to know God has given His Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love! In life, it means much when someone reminds us they love us. This verse is a reminder God loves us. I know there are times when the stretch seems too long, too hard, and impossible. Be encouraged this day and place your hope in God; you will not be disappointed. A verse from one of my favorite hymns says, “In the bulb, there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree; in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter, there’s a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.”