I read a statistic recently that says suicide rates are the highest in Spring. It goes against many preconceived notions that suicide would flourish most in the cold, enclosed Winter months. Yet, it is when the pollen paints the world and the sunshine wakes the foliage from its cold slumber that people lose their hope for something better.
It is unknown why this occurrence happens. As much as knowledge progresses(as much as the mind can), we still can’t account for these human rarities. Coming from someone who once struggled in Spring, I realized that part of the loss of faith was the sudden illumination. All aspects of shame, which were once contained in the safety of a warm home, or under the guise of social hibernation, became painfully apparent when the switch was flipped from dark to light.
People argue about the exact date of Jesus’ crucifixion, but it is known it was in the springtime. This was not a coincidence. Leading up to the crucifixion, I believe those who loved Jesus could not comprehend the days to come. His followers had no ears to hear such a supernatural reality. Once Jesus was sentenced to death, and led away to Calvary, His people did not know of faith. Imagine the only hope you had in your life was being prosecuted and mutilated in front of you. It wasn’t just defeated, it was life-shattering. I can only envision the rains that poured those three days before He rose. The world was quiet, torn, and lost. Yet, the flowers still grew and the world still turned as sunbeams kissed the earth. In His rising, the beauty that was once perverted by man and shrouded in shame became an infinite timeline of unending hope. He is risen. He continues to rise every second of every day.
For those struggling this Spring, it's ok. It is ok to feel the weight of a lifetime of worry. It is ok for the pain to strike more acutely as you get in your car for work. It is ok that the hope you mustered fell apart as the flowers opened across the perimeters. Jesus knew of the darkness that was enclosed, and that continues to wrap around this corner of your world. The rain will pour and the wind will whip. Yet, His hope comes right on time. Easter was never meant to be a gently wrapped commercial holiday. It is meant to be a wrecking, rapturing reminder that God so loved the world He gave us His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him will not perish, but have everlasting LIFE. It is a time to believe in His intentions and to see purity and beauty born out of complete love. In that gift, we must renew our vows, hand over every secrecy and worry we bundled in our heart of hearts, and let Him in to heal the damage. The pain of the illumination pails in comparison to the joy of Jesus’ spring cleaning in our spirits. He went to the cross to do that very job, never failing to show in every season. It wasn’t just for me, it was for you too.
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