Seek: In the Springtime

Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.

Hosea 6:3 NIV

Spring weather is somewhat like a sampling of all four seasons, especially in the Pacific Northwest.  We see it all: sun, rain, hail, clouds, and the even occasional dusting of snow.  Such variability can make it difficult to plan all those fun spring things we want to do.  Gardeners have to tiptoe around the last frost.  Events like Saturday morning soccer games may get rained out.  It may be thirty degrees on the last days at the ski hill, or it could be fifty-five.  

All this means you’ve got to learn to be flexible. Don’t let a rainy day get you down, instead curl up with that book you’ve been meaning to read or finish that craft or project you’ve been working on for ages. Better yet, just throw on a rain jacket and splash in a puddle or three! I love how living in Oregon and Washington you can always tell who the locals are because we don’t even bother with umbrellas anymore, we just make sure we have a good rain jacket and go about our days.

If an unexpected sunny afternoon sneaks into your week, skip that trip to the grocery store you had planned and go for a bike ride or a walk! I love those days coming out of the grey winter months where the whole neighborhood seems to wake up. Flowers are poking up out of the ground, trees are blooming, and birds are chirping. Families are taking walks and bike rides together, and sometimes we luck out and the shaved ice truck even makes its way to our favorite park.

When you live somewhere where sunny days can be few and far between, you really do learn to appreciate them when they come along. But, one thing is for certain…they always do eventually come along. We can be certain the sun will shine even when all we are seeing is the rain and clouds. Every morning, without fail, a new day begins and the sun wakes up (even if we don’t see much of it shining through the clouds). In the same way we can be certain that Jesus is with us, and one way or another we will be with him again.

Rain got you down? Thank God for the green things that are growing. Hail threatening to cancel your weekend plans? Find gratitude for the day and make a new plan. Sunny day come out of nowhere in the middle of ten rainy ones? Get outside and soak in the sun your Father is sending you.

May you Seek + Sojourn more,

Teddi Jo