Coping as We Wait for Spring

The changing seasons are one of the most tangible ways we regularly witness God’s design. Each year begins with the dark, cold months of winter, wherein nothing seems to be happening. Thankfully, those months eventually give way to spring, filled with bright green shoots of life and budding trees. The following warmth of summer feels abundant, with lush foliage, bright flowers, and temperatures that let us get out and enjoy our surroundings. Then, predictably, the temperatures drop, descending through the fall months into winter again. And so it continues, the seasons as they have always been and will always be, until the Lord comes again.

Of all the seasonal transitions, the waiting period between winter and spring is most difficult for me. I suspect this is the same for others whose hope for spring is more intense than any of the other seasonal changes. It’s the experience that feels the most like moving from death into life, darkness into light, hope into realization.

We experience this literal waiting for spring each natural winter. However, we also experience it figuratively in the “winters” our lives. Being a human in this broken world means each of us will occasionally have winter-like seasons. These times can last anywhere from days to years, sometimes making the wait for “spring” incredibly difficult to endure. Let’s consider some different ways “winter” can manifest in our lives.

The Winter to Spring Waiting Period

• Winter is getting an odd test result and knowing you won’t know the full truth until next week.
• Winter is a broken relationship and hoping it will someday be restored.
• Winter is applying for a desperately needed job, school, or opportunity and not knowing when you will hear back.
• Winter is a long health battle and being unsure which side of heaven the victory will be on.
• Winter is a difficult career season and not knowing when or if you will enjoy your work again.
• In short, winter is a hard season of waiting and hoping that spring will come as soon as possible.

Waiting for Spring Coping Strategies

Given that we all experience “winter” seasons when the world feels a little dark, cold, and lifeless, it is important that we explore ways to make it through. Rather than giving up in despair, these winter-like experiences are a time for “coping and hoping,” trying our best to believe God is doing his work out of sight just as he does with the natural world each year. In these difficult “winter” seasons, coping may look like:

• Calling on friends and family like we do during the holidays and coming together for support
• Hunkering down for a time as during a snowstorm and waiting for the worst to pass
• Gathering our creature comforts, favorite foods, comfy clothes and finding enjoyment where we can
• Treating it as we might during Advent, focusing on the hope that spring will surely come at some point
• Making sure to celebrate when and what we can, even when the future is unknown
• Remembering that all seasons are temporary
• Reminding ourselves of the truth that God is always working, even when it’s dark and cold
• Knowing that hope, in view of all that seems hopeless, is the stuff of deep faith

To assure you that these strategies are not just flippant suggestions from a carefree woman, I will share that my own life has only recently emerged from a lengthy “winter” experience. After years of transition and some career mismatches, our family finally seems to be entering a time of fruition and stability we have not known for a long time. I am so deeply grateful to be in this new spring season but, I remember all too clearly how hard that winter wait was, even as people reminded me spring would someday come.

For those of you whom this message is reaching in a hard, dark time, I hope these suggestions encourage you in three important ways: (1) to maintain hope that spring is coming, (2) to take really good, intentional care of yourself until that time comes, and (3) to acknowledge that God remains good, faithful, and active, whether it’s winter, spring, or any other season.

He is so very good. I hope your spring comes soon. Until then, take good care of yourself as he also cares for you.

Verses to encourage you:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” (Ecc. 3:1 KJV)

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

​​”For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Rom. 8:24-25 NIV)

Anne Rulo is an author, speaker, professional counselor, marriage and family therapist and veteran coach’s wife. She and her husband Tim have two children and are passionate about reaching people for Christ and sharing information on coaching, marriage, family, and mental health. Read more from Anne at www.annerulo.com.

Photograph © Roman Datsiuk, used with permission