Spring comes, but it does not come without struggle and turmoil. Lovely flowers try to lift their delicate petals only to feel the blast of frost and snow. The howling winds of winter continue to roar even as the warm rains of spring try to emerge. Tornadoes blow their fury as thunder clouds dominate the sky. Sleet and hail play havoc with earth's desire for a tranquil passage of the seasons. Winter is not going to give up without a fight, and so the elements compete until spring can get the upper hand.

Cold weather will test the fiber of the early twigs and punish the fruit flowers that misread an early burst of warmth. The birth pains of spring send nature into a kind of convulsion as the radical changing of the seasons transpires. No other time of the year offers such a traumatic transition as the movement from cold to warmth. Spring has a hard time convincing Mother Nature that its moment has arrived.

Perhaps the whole equinox process is a perfect parable on life. A cold and callous nature does not surrender without a fight. There is real anguish of the soul when renewal begins to occur. As the violent power of nature unloads its arsenal of weapons upon the earth, so does the fury of Satan unleash its storm upon our souls. The winter of our spiritual discontent clings tenaciously until we allow the warmth of God's love to melt the icicles of indifference. The passage from darkness unto light and from death unto life is sometimes a violent transition. We are not equipped to make life-changing decisions without some inner turmoil. As commitment emerges, the soul's barometric pressure falls and rises in keeping with our spiritual energies.

The kind of life to which Jesus calls is as radical and furious as the force of a mighty hurricane. The wind of God blows away those things not securely held down. Only that which is stable and lasting will survive the scrutiny of His will. Only what is built on a foundation that anticipates the storm will survive temptation's tests. Yes, spring comes again to remind us that underneath the snow and the wintry, blustery winds lies the potential for new life and growth. And so it is in our own lives. We do well to allow the Lord of springtime and harvest to plant His seed in the warm, fertile soil of our faith so we may share in His productive yield.