To preface this writing, I must say that I wrote almost all of this article about a month ago - well before significant news of COVID-19 broke out. God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave me the idea to write about this topic, because it is even more applicable today than it was a few weeks ago. An astounding adversity stares us in the face today, but the Lord's steadfast faithfulness and unending favor extends to a thousand generations and He will not fail. This virus outbreak is one of the worst things to happen to the world in a while, but could it also be one of the best? These troubles are temporary, but His Word is eternal and it will be applicable to our lives forever. I hope these times will not only encourage people through the coming weeks and months, but through the coming decades and centuries.

The middle of March has surpassed us, which means that the spring season has officially arrived. I don't know about you, but for me the thought of leaving winter behind brings waves of happiness. The bitter wind biting your face, the random rainstorms that strike at inconvenient times, and the icy sidewalks are just a few of winter's aspects that I look forward to taking a hiatus from. It's not that I hate winter in general … the Christmas season, the new year, the new semester, the beginning of new sports seasons, and the snow days were certainly enjoyable and are moments most people wouldn't mind reliving. Perhaps the season of life that you (and all of us) feel stuck in right now aligns metaphorically with the winter season itself. Maybe you feel isolated, bitter, freezing, desolate, empty, bland and are desperately in need of change. Maybe the New Year's resolutions didn't work out for you and you've stumbled right back into the monotonous, temptation-succumbing, goal-stricken life that you sought to flee just a few months ago. It's time to leave the past behind. Use these isolated times as a transition between leaving the winter season behind and springing into a new season of your life.

If your life isn't easy right now, and most peoples' are certainly not, take a step back and understand that you were never promised an easy life. The sole purpose of the tribulations you face is to reveal the goodness and unwavering faithfulness of God. Instead of complaining about the people you don't get to see today or the work you don't want to do today, view today as an opportunity to give thanks for the hard times. See today as an opportunity to love, to serve, to forgive, to heal, to expand, etc. In the song Seasons, Hillsong says that "though the winter is long, [the harvest season will be even richer and is worth my patience]." It's okay if the winter season of your life has felt long. He planted seeds under the snow that have been growing in you and your season of harvest is waiting on you. All you have to do is go out into the world, as cold as it may be, and radiate the fruits of the Spirit. You don't have to live in darkness any longer. Make an effort to be a ray of light everyday and you'll find out that other rays of light will begin surrounding you. Your dark days are gone; the bitter wind is gone; the depression and anxiety and fear and timidity are gone … IF you choose to leave them behind you. The sovereign Lord is using this season of our lives to break new ground and to bring new wine out of us. We are walking upon a sacred soil that nobody has stepped foot on before. We are navigating waters that no ship has sailed upon before. Yet through it all, even the wind and the waves still know His name and will obey Him. As God turns nature's page from winter to spring, align your life accordingly and leave behind what's dragging you down in pursuit of a fresh, lively awakening.

How do you embrace a new season of life and escape the rut that you've been stuck in? You do so by living in complete obedience and faith. Why should you? Because Jesus has conquered more than just the trouble you're facing … he's conquered the world. Even when the temptation is there, when the day is hard, or when you can't see around the corner, the only obstacles that lie ahead are the ones Jesus has overcome. It sounds so simple initially, but it can be so difficult oftentimes. Embracing a new season might mean letting go of the comfortable life you're living. It might mean self-sacrificing so that the poor and the elderly have food to make it through these times. It might mean that you stop putting off for tomorrow what you can do today. It might mean asking God for boldness in sharing His love. It might mean letting go of, or entering into, a new relationship that looks scary. It might mean making a better effort to thank the people who constantly serve you. It might mean letting go of your pride. It might mean enduring a time of loneliness and realizing that the world has been shut down so that you put your eyes on what truly matters. It might mean to understand that you'll never be perfect, and to instead begin rejoicing in the simplicity of the gospel.

Though we are all going through a similar hardship, everyone is fighting through another winter season that looks different, and everyone's spring season will also look different. So find the areas of life in which you need to grow the most and confidently walk into this new season ready to grow. The Winter you have endured/are enduring is/was Jesus' preparation so that He can bring new wine out of you. The crushing and pressing of the grape means that He's forming new wine from you. Embrace that. In today's society it seems as if the thoughts of newness, seed planting, sprouting, and growth have been given a negative stigma. There is nothing wrong with newness and seed planting - it is perfectly acceptable to leave what's comfortable and challenge yourself in areas of your life that you've been guarding. Use every inch of the soil you've been given and be willing to break that new ground so that planted seeds can one day produce fruit. There is nothing wrong with sprouting and growth - these are the signs that you've broken into a new season and are ready to contribute to the Kingdom in new ways.

There's not a better time to leave your winter behind than now. Tirelessly pursue this new season of life and challenge yourself like you never have. Make no mistake, transitions in life are never easy, so don't expect this one to be either. I wish I could promise you an abundance of success and prosperity as you choose to spring into something new, but I cannot do that because that is not what God promises. This season of your life is not about you and your prosperity, and the next one won't be either. The beautiful and unique life you've been blessed with is a platform for you to advance the Kingdom of Heaven in the struggles, in the mundane, in the miracles, and on the mountain tops alike. You can't expect the harvest to come before the rain arrives to water your crops, yet you can choose joy through it all. You can absolutely expect to struggle as you leave comfort behind in favor of growth. Your harvest will come, but that doesn't mean it will come in the form that you want it to. Anticipate God moving in your life, but also understand that His plan is sovereign and won't always align with yours. Be patient through the trials. Be faithful in prayer. Give thanks through it all. Endure the storm. Bear the fruit. Even when it's hard.