Spring is here. Grass is looking more green than yellow, you don’t have to turn on your brights to drive home from work, and jackets are no longer an everyday necessity. Not only has Spring arrived, but the Easter Season has also come and gone once again. Now, before I lose you, I know not everyone feels a significant connection to Easter. Heck, Spring’s pollen offering over the last few weeks may have even turned you away before I even mentioned faith. But wherever you stand when it comes to Spring or Easter, I would encourage you to keep reading. And no matter your perspective, my hope is that you view this post through the lens of restoration, and new life. I know that can be difficult. Personally speaking, allergy season and holiday festivities (other than Reese’s eggs) aren’t really for me. However, now is when I need to remind myself what these times are truly representative of, and why they’re significant in the first place. And, in doing so, I find a lot to reflect on.
While there are countless themes that I could go on and on about, I want to take a moment just to hone in on a few of them. The first is the notion of new life. Spring restores that which passed away in winter. It brings color and vibrance and offers warmth and growth. While it’s easy to focus on the details of Spring that I alluded to earlier, its true core lies within fostering living things. Another theme that comes to the forefront when reflecting on Easter, is pain and brokenness being redeemed. Easter points us to a sacrifice made in love that ultimately opens the door for a restored life. Regardless of your background, the themes of new life, redemption and restoration are all universal. They are all connected to counseling. Counseling at its core, is a vehicle for growth, healing and renewal.
If I'm going to use Spring as a metaphor for part of our lives, then it stands to reason that the other seasons apply as well. And while the promise of Spring is something beautiful, we all know how long and harsh winters can be. Some countries around the world experience 5-6 months of winter. The Jewish people waited over 1000 years for Jesus to be born, and then 33 more years to serve as sacrifice, and then 3 days for his promise to them to be completed. In each instance shared, I’m sure people have felt as though their winters were less like 5 months or 33 years or even 3 days, and more like an eternity. That brings us to you, the reader. Maybe where you find yourself today is a low point. Perhaps you feel like that low has gone on for as long as you can remember, or your whole life has been made up of consecutive “winters,” characterized by dark, bleak, harsh experiences. The point of this post is not to guarantee that Spring is just around the corner, or to invalidate the pain and brokenness that you have experienced. Instead, it’s to offer hope.
Life is messy. It falls apart sometimes. We would love for our whole experience to reside between the “Summers,” and “Falls,” of life, but that’s just not reality. It’s not realistic to expect that from nature, nor is it realistic to expect in our lives. But, even when we feel most stuck, the world doesn’t stop. It keeps turning, bringing us closer to the promise of a Spring. To continue the analogy about seasons across the globe, a Spring in Canada is far different than one here in Georgia. Nonetheless, it is still Spring. Your Spring may not look like your friend’s or neighbor’s. But it will come with the promise of restoration, growth, and healing.
So, wherever you are in life, don’t just stop and smell the roses. Instead, check to see if they’re in bloom. If you look around and realize you’re in “Summer,” don’t take that for granted! Take time to celebrate and appreciate it. If you feel as though you’ve been stuck in Winter for as long as you can remember, don’t lose hope! Pay attention to the little thaws, when the ice gets a little less jagged and chilling. Be present where you are and know that seasons change.
Counseling itself is not Spring. It doesn’t guarantee that everything will shift back to the way it was. It doesn’t erase every sign of Winter. But, when you’re ready, it can be a part of that seasonal change. Counseling offers us a chance to heal from our “Winters.” It gives us an opportunity to appreciate what is blooming around and within us. It can echo what the heart of Easter is all about. A large portion of life is about life and death, struggling and resting, hurting and healing. However, it’s not just Spring and Winter. It’s also the in-betweens. Jesus isn’t significant solely because he was born, died, and came back to life. He’s significant because of what he chose to do throughout his life. He was present with people, both in victory and suffering. Counseling is an opportunity to be present in the midst of this crazy thing we call life. It’s a chance to sit with someone, to learn, grow, be challenged, and supported. So, reader, take time to be present. Allow yourself to seek support. Be patient, kind, and loving with yourself. And remember, that Spring will come.
