May

Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed (2 Corinthians 4:16).

May is a time of transitions. Seniors get ready for graduation. Families make their plans for summer vacation. Gardeners start spending more time outdoors than in.

May is a time of heightened expectation. Kids look forward to a break from school. People tired of being cooped up inside look forward to opening the windows and taking leisurely walks in the sunshine. Boats and bikes and campers are brought out of storage and are spruced up for another season of use.

But May also has moments of sadness and concern. There are tearful good-byes when friends leave school, never to return. Some are going off to an uncertain future working for the military; others hope to land a job that suits their interests and pays a comfortable wage. Parents worry about grown children who are leaving home, and find the house a quieter place than they like. Farmers plant their fields, but have no idea what kind of harvest they’ll eventually take to market.

As Christians, we live in the transition of May. Because of the faith Jesus put in our hearts, we face each day with eager anticipation. We look forward to the Son of God returning in power to end the winter of sin and give our world the rebirth it so desperately needs. We look forward to an end of suffering and backbreaking work; when we are with Christ, He will give us an eternal rest that is far better than any short-term vacation. We look forward to revisiting old friends and relatives who have been stolen away from us by the passing of years.

But times of transition can be stressful. Although we know that all believers go to heaven, it’s still hard to say goodbye at a funeral. We struggle to adjust to a life that has one less special person who was only a phone call away. And we wonder, just a little, what awaits us on the other side of death. Jesus tells us that heaven is wonderful, but we sure wish He would give us a vacation brochure that includes some pictures!

Although winter has some wonderful things to offer, the promise of spring makes us look forward, not back. Our lives have moments of wonder and beauty; but sooner or later we get tired of living in winter, having to put up with cold treatment and the darkness of evil. We crave the coming of spring; and when you follow Christ, every month can be filled with the joyful expectation of May.