Spring was always a weird season for me when I was young. On one hand, I was riding the high of Christmas break and on the other hand, I lamented going back to school for a whole semester with only the respite of spring break. I associated it with waiting for Summer, waiting to sleeping in seven days a week. Reflecting on that now, I realize I was hoping for what was to come.

One spring it was the excitement of buying a golf pass so my cousin and I could play at Lincoln Park and Tiara Rado every day. In the interest of full disclosure, I don’t think we came anywhere near to playing every day… but it was a lot!

Another Spring, it was the excitement of going to Big Surf and going down the huge slide and spending 5 bucks at the arcade (I always played Battlezone)…

The week long trip to the Grand Mesa where we would fish at Waterdog or Sunset and hang out with cousins..

The back to school trip to Denver to buy school clothes (we were fancy like that)…

Playing paintball and immediately regretting that decision when I was hit point blank in the back (thanks Kenny)…

Spending the evening at Aladdin’s Castle for the all- you- can- play events that were held after Mesa Mall closed…

Seeing movies at the local theater at 1:00 a.m. because our friend worked there and was making sure the new movie was spliced together properly.

That is what the season of Spring reminds me of; it’s how all these things would capture my thoughts… and they all boiled down to one thing:

Hope.

Spring is Hope.

The hope of finishing the school year. The hope of a great time in the future… and Hope is what keeps me going when I feel like I have been waiting for the good things to come.

Spring is that time of year when everything is being prepared. The long winter is over and we need to get ready for the fruitful growing season.

Unfortunately, I often find myself being stuck-frozen in the winter; not fully grasping or comprehending something amazing God may have in store.

What future thing has us holding onto hope? Are we getting ready for it? Have we laid the groundwork for it to happen? Is it a hope in something temporal or eternal? Are we placing it in some “thing”, or does our hope have its basis in the One who is the origin of all things Good, True, and Holy?

In the bible there are so many places where the text reminds us to take action, to have hope, and to place that hope on the eternal rock:

 “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:25 NIV)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”     (1 Peter 1:3 NIV)

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)

I love that.

Where do we find ourselves today?  Are we getting ready for goodness and holding tightly to hope? Where are we choosing to place our hope today?

 “And so, LORD, where do I put my HOPE? My only hope is in You.” (Psalms 39:7 NLT)

I couldn’t possibly know what you may be going through, but I do know that if it is a challenge like things have been in my life, we can hold onto hope together. Let’s remember that God works things together for the good, even if we can’t see it on this side of the veil. May we hope to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

-Josh

Go The Extra Mile:It’s me (Liz) again:), I’m so thankful for Josh’s encouraging words today on the blog. Let me be really honest- I’m thankful for his words of wisdom and his joy daily. He was the perfect choice to tell us about Spring:). To end out today, Josh & I would love for you to check out “Hope Is What We Crave” by For King & Country! Not only is this song a great reminder that we do crave hope, but this awesome video was recorded in one of my favorite places- The Factory in Franklin, TN! Watch below and we hope you’ll find encouragement!