Romans 8:18-25

Every winter, the trees shed their leaves- exposing their bare, broken branches. The leaves that hide their imperfections, as they blow and billow in the elements unprotected. The leaves that add color and vibrancy become brittle and fall to the ground, returning to the dust. 

As the leaves drop, they lament the curse that subjected all creation to futility. The trees eagerly, yet sadly, wait with anticipation for the season to follow. A time of warmth, blooming, growth, nourishment, and renewal. But for months at a time, they wait. They struggle. They seem hopeless.

We lament with the trees and the rest of creation. We long for the day when we are no longer subject to changing seasons and circumstances, rather an eternal, unchanging kingdom; face to face with an eternal, unchanging God. While in the winter, we remember it yields a great harvest. We grow in brokenness and get put back together for the better. We put our hope in what we cannot see. We put our hope in what we know is coming. We put our hope in WHO has demanded, “Remember.” In the winter, we remember the promise of the coming King. He came then and He’s coming back again.