Spring has officially started here in our area of Texas. We’ve been making preparations for our garden’s growing season, even harvesting some of the early fruits of our labor! All around us is evidence of the renewal that Spring brings to God’s creation. Just a few months ago one would have seen a decaying environment – trees mostly barren of leaves, grass that was stunted and dormant, few signs of insect or animal life, and cold winds from the north that made the house creak and groan in response.

What a difference a little time can make in the weather here! I have always loved the changing of the seasons, perhaps because it was a reminder that life has seasons and cycles that will repeat till Christ returns to renew his claim of lordship over the earth and make all things new. Here in Texas we typically don’t have the extremes of seasonal changes as our friends in the north experience, but there are regular cycles that refresh from the summer heat here. While the north has the challenges of a bitter winter season, the south has the challenges of the intense summer heat. Either one can seem like an eternity when a person is living in it!

A portion of Ecclesiastes states that there is a season for everything. For some people, however, especially those mired in depression rooted in an outlook on life that has rejected the place of God, these seasons may never be experienced. Instead, a constant, deepening sense of frustration and hopelessness exerts a tighter grip on their sanity. What if there was a way to induce this sensation through nefarious means, even to those who acknowledge a Creator of sorts? Recent articles are converging on this idea, exposing the work of laboratories, individuals and companies set in motion to construct such a solution. Neuroinflammation and the Zombie Mind is one of those articles by John Leake resulting from an interview with Dr. Michael Nehls, but there are many more on the subject which I have read from a variety of intelligent and thoughtful authors.

Should we speak the truth about these things, or fear the taunting voices which are spiraling towards an eternal separation from truth and love? Another article titled Love Tells the Truth by Jared Hayden of the Colson Center addresses this question by exploring the definition of love. The Bible says that love is the greatest, and remains while faith and hope will pass away. So in one way of looking at this, there is a season for hope and faith, but a constant remains throughout these cycles of hope and faith that generations have experienced. Just as the sun is a constant throughout the seasons of summer, fall, winter and spring, so the Son, and his love is a reminder of what love is and will always be to those who search for truth and understanding.

I thought it interesting that a group of people believe that we must block the sun to “save the earth”. What an interesting analogy to the spiritual reality of these days! But this too shall pass, and those who understand that seasons are a part of this side of eternity will continue to function in hope and faith, knowing that God’s love will overcome the predisposed darkness of our minds as we trust in His ways. What season are you experiencing at this time?