February can be an extremely difficult month to endure. I know firsthand from being born and raised in Michigan.
I can still recall seeing the pastures just east of our house blanketed in snow with more snow blowing across the barrenness. The wood heating stoves barely kept up with the freezing temperatures.
There was a certain beauty about the scene, like something a painter could capture to tell a story.
Cows eating green grass and alfalfa on that same field were mere memories now, but that’s what kept us holding onto our sanity. History assured us spring would arrive someday.
It always did.
That’s what my security to hope has been for a long time now.
I just heard a sermon about hope by a preacher who had to fill in for our regular pastor who became ill this week.
Pastor Chuck will be leading a trip to Israel beginning next week. Please pray for his recovery from the virus he’s dealing with so he can regain his strength.
Back to my winter season now…I’ve seen flocks of robins in Texas lately. They were always a harbinger of spring in Michigan.
My mom always wrote down on the calendar when she saw the first flock. She also recorded the first hearing of peeping frogs in the pond almost a quarter mile away.
Each year she’d open up a fresh calendar and re-record when the first robins and frogs appeared how many years before. Fortunately there weren’t many birthdays to record that time of year.
No pattern developed as to anything happening either earlier or later. The dates simply jumped around like robins in search of worms.
I’m seeing signs of spring in my own life lately.
There’s Shalah, a local business owner in need of marketing help. She doesn’t have much money so she’s willing to take a chance on me being able to help her there. I plan on doing more than she expects so this business relationship will lead to more business later.
When I sent Sally my manuscript to get her opinion about it she sent me an email saying she has two of her editors looking at it to see if they think it’s something they might publish. I already have another publisher interested in it. I was merely looking for advice on how to make edits the first publisher asked me for.
Ever since I switched temp agencies for my driving job I’ve been busy there as well. Some unexpected events have occurred with my driving assignments, but they’re nothing I can plan for. I just keep keeping it between the lines as best I can.
God knows He can’t keep His servants in the waiting room too long. If He does they’ll languish there.
Patience, perseverance and character need time to develop.
When the time is right the cake comes out of the oven.
God is up to something with this old farm boy.
Billy Graham was fond of remembering he was a simple farm boy.
That farm boy was called home. This one is ready to run.
Please pray for wisdom and stamina.
I have a feeling I won’t be bored very often in the next season of my life.
Bring on the spring growing season.
I’ll see you later. Wade
