By Mark A. Taylor
After one of the roughest winters in memory for many Christian Standard readers, Easter and the promise of spring couldn”t have come too soon.
Even as we finish preparing this issue the first week of March, the lawns of our city are still half-covered with snow. Huge hills of the stuff””dirtied by car exhaust and gravel””still tower on the edges of many parking lots. It”s difficult for us to imagine little girls in pastel dresses posing in front of daffodils and Easter lilies as we hurry about our business still trying to shrug off the cold.
But we write with confidence that spring will come by the time you”re reading this. Our God has created a universe with such order that we take for granted the passing of the seasons. And even those who have decried the record snowfalls of this winter have not given up hope of sunshine and warmth, because spring always comes.
“This, too, shall pass” is the proverb repeated especially by those who have lived decades and seen the truth of the saying. In no situation is this more reassuring than when we”re suffering with the extremes of a season: numbing cold, flood-producing rain, exhausting heat, or autumn”s onslaught of fallen leaves. Aren”t we glad we don”t shovel or rake all year long?
And “this, too, shall pass” can give us hope amid worse troubles than those. When our situation seems impossible, we can remember that nothing bad lasts forever.
More than homespun wisdom, this hope is grounded on biblical teaching. Peter, who wrote to Christians enduring persecution, encouraged them to rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus, even though “now for a little while” they”re suffering grief from trials (1 Peter 1:6). “Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ,” he told them, “so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (4:13).
In other words, “this, too, shall pass.” Christ”s death means we can rise above the fallout from our sin. His resurrection proves that life extends beyond the grave.
We live in this world “as strangers here” (1 Peter 1:17). TheAmerican Standard Version translates it as “the time of your sojourning.” This, too””not only our life on this earth, but the very earth itself””shall pass. When our days are difficult, we can remember the apostle”s encouragement: “Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1:13).
Too often I”m so preoccupied with life I forget the life to come. In good times as well as bad, may I pray for grace to remember, “This too, shall pass.”
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