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April Showers Bring May Flowers

April Showers Bring May Flowers

As I age, I reflect frequently on the life lessons my parents taught me. Many of the lessons that my mom taught were through rhymes, songs, and each April she would be fully prepared with an April fools joke followed by the adage “April Showers Bring May Flowers.”

In our recent book study Begin Again, the author Max Lucado set aside a chapter advising us to not judge our struggles (April Showers) too early. The strong storms of April seem damaging at the time. Debris falls into our yards, days are cloudy, and on occasion we can experience serious property damage from high winds and flooding. We can easily become discouraged as we spend time inside our homes watching the storms pass by day after day. When we survey the storm damage, it is easy to pass judgement and wonder why God allows significant loss into our lives. Weeks later we realize that those rains, winds, and floods propelled life in a new direction. We begin to see new life all around. The grass is greener, the skies are bluer. An old tree that had the top blown out of it suddenly produces foliage after years of dormancy. An old shed or barn is replaced with a newly painted, fresh structure. “April Showers, truly bring May Flowers.” They go hand in hand much like the cross and the resurrection.

So goes our life... during the trials and struggles of life we must remember that our real hope is in eternity. When storms blow through our earthly life it is best not to judge the moment. We must step far enough back to see that God’s offer of eternity with Him far outweighs any earthly struggle. We begin to see the real hope we are given through Christ. We must remember when we find ourselves in an April storm to take a step back, reserve judgment of our struggle, and recognize that there are May flowers just beneath the soil. Let’s be reminded of Paul's strong encouragement in Romans 8: 38-39.

“I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s compelling love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Eric Bowman

 

Eric Bowman ovalEric is our associate pastor, working with outreach and youth ministry as well as adult discipleship and growth. Eric retired from a 28-year career in public education as a high school band director in 2019 and is now living his lifelong dream as a pastor. Eric and his wife, Diana, continue to live in Henry County where they have been lifetime residents. They "raised" three children and are now making their best attempt at "raising" themselves.


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