Sierra V. Fedorko

Last week I unexpectedly found myself at my desert home due to a family emergency. 

I’ll not talk about that here, but I will share what has stuck out to me in these chaotic weeks of waiting and processing. And it is simply this…

The morning birdsong was still so sweet despite the long hours of unknowns and grief.

There was one morning I woke up to birdsong and questioned it. How could something so lovely be going on when life is like this? But I didn’t question long and soon found solace in the sweetness and beauty of the morning song which continued on so faithfully in a season of night. In these weeks it’s what I’ve loved most about a spring I’ve had trouble savoring.

I’m a big believer in noticing and enjoying the season at hand, but there are times when life takes your legs out from under you and you’re flat on your back. You’re likely missing flowers blooming or not as attuned to the green popping soft and lush on the trees. It’s impossible to ignore the blessings of God which may come in the form of sweet morning birdsong, but you’re also depleted. And there’s no shame in that. No shame in a hard season where you miss the blooming flowers.

Regardless, watching God turn the seasons of the year has become one of my favorite pastimes. And so in this season of spring which has not felt as spring-like as I have known in years past, I have found it is gloriously enough that God has turned the season just as He always does. It is good He did not wait for me to feel “good” for Him to do the work of spring. It is comforting that God continues in beautiful things like flowers and birdsong when there is darkness rising and resting like fog…still He does beautiful things. Still He is good. Still there are blessings from His hand.

Still it is spring. 

And life with God means I still find spring sweet instead of bitter when the brokenness of life on earth rears its ugly head.

I bet
you didn’t know
that
during the darkness
and during the
chaos
and after all the
unknowns,
the birds would
still sing
in the morning
and it wouldn’t be 
salt 
in your wounds
and instead of
shaking
your fists
at the sky,
you’d pick the
flowers 
at your feet
touch spring without
feeling it,
taste the goodness 
of God
in the long bitter hours
that turned into 
birdsong
that still sounded
sweet
after the repeated
striking
of midnight.

-S.V.F.

So if you’re in a season of missing all the flowers in bloom, aren’t you glad the flowers are still there? Aren’t you glad God is still doing life? Still making spring? Still doing beautiful things in a broken world such as this!

Now that is a good God, indeed.