I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!

Revelation 1:18

It’s finally the time of year when things feel like they are all coming back to life. The brighter days we have longed for have arrived. Trees are blooming, and flowers are pushing their way out of darkness and into the light. All this new life in nature gives us new hope after a long, dark winter. And it is surely no accident that God placed Passover at this time of year for the greatest, most-influential comeback story in the history of the world, the death to life story: the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Sometimes our lives feel like we are stuck in the perpetual darkness of winter. Sometimes they feel more like cold, dark dirt than bright, beautiful flowers. But even the most glorious flower or the grandest tree in the world didn’t start out that way. They each started as a tiny seed that was nourished and protected, and ever so slowly, it sprouted and pushed its way through a lot of dirt, straight toward heaven, before it found the light. The seed did its part and God did the rest. Even in the darkness and the dirt, life and growth are happening. And the more we lean into Jesus, the sooner we can triumphantly break through the that top layer and find the sun. Like the cross teaches us, just on the other side of our biggest struggles, are truly the most beautiful blessings. 

The grave wasn’t the end for Jesus; your darkness isn’t your end, either. If you’re in the darkness right now, there’s hope for so much joy tomorrow! There’s an empty grave to prove it! Where you are today is shaping you, growing you for who you will become tomorrow, and the gloom of winter never lasts forever. If you are in a season of dirt, just grab onto Jesus, push with all your might straight toward heaven, and all that dirt with have no choice but to move right out of your way. You do your part and God will do the rest! It might just be the greatest, most-influential comeback story of your life! You are loved! 

“Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.” ~Christine Cain