It is one ugly mess when Michigan’s winter snow starts to melt and the frozen ground begins to unthaw. The fresh snow that once covered the landscape in a magical white dust becomes tainted with the salt and dirt spewed from the blades of snow plows. The oversaturation of the winter meltdown causes lawns to flood and snow boots are replaced with mud boots.

I look out my kitchen window and can’t help but feel the lifeless surroundings mourn for restoration. The barren tree branches reach upward to reclaim buds of new growth.  The grass cries out “Rake me; the embedded debris has crippled me with weeds.”

Life’s transitional seasons can be ugly. We all face moments where we mourn for restoration. It may be due to divorce, addiction, job change, health issues or the loss of a loved one; whatever you face, there is hope. God reminds us of this truth through nature and the changing of seasons.

There is always a sense of excitement when I spot the emergence of crocus buds pushing up through the barren winter soil. With great effort and perseverance the roots defy all elements that seek to hinder their rebirth.

What is the view outside your window of life?

I don’t know about you, but the views outside my window of life haven’t always presented a pretty picture. There are views splattered with the dirt of my failures, floods brought on by untimely meltdowns, mud slides where waist high waders are needed and high winds that uproot anything in its path of destruction.

I don’t want to be like Moses in the wilderness. He was unable to move to the window of grace, mercy and redemption. When the view from his window seemed hopeless with no possibility of change, he blamed God. Based on that decision, Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. He was given a glimpse of God’s promise of restoration; but never experienced the full benefits.

Seek restoration.

When the snow plow of life throws dirt and stones; when flood waters cover the ground beneath us and new growth is buried under frozen ground, don’t lose hope. In times when faith is nothing more than a withered leaf that desperately clings to the branch of a barren tree, don’t lose hope. Life presents us with a variety of seasons and it is up to us to determine how we view the situation.

Don’t limit yourself to one season, one window or just one hope. Most of all, never limit the time needed to mourn the restoration process of your heart and soul.