by Elizabeth Ecker
One of the things I appreciate about Minnesota is that its residents aren’t far removed from their agrarian roots. The average person on a Rochester street either knows a farmer or is one. The result is that we are familiar with the cycles of nature each year: spring planting, summer growth, autumn harvest, winter repose. The adage, “Spring showers bring May flowers” might not be entirely accurate in Minnesota—May can just as easily bring blizzards—but we understand the sentiment: the bulbs and seeds that have been quietly waiting under the frozen ground need to first endure days of rain before they can be drawn into the warm sun once again. So it is with our spiritual lives; there are cycles of growth, seasons of rest or hardship, times of pruning, and periods of joyful harvest.
Our contributors this month have much to say about the difficult showers as well as the beautiful flowers of their lives. Mary Egge’s moving testimony explains her journey of forgiveness and new life in Christ. Christine Beech shares about the Salt and Light ministry of Rochester, and how it is offering encouragement and spiritual support to our first responders. Karley Berge’s devotional on God’s continual shepherding through difficult times draws on her own experiences with grief and faith. Char Derksen’s life story is one of patient, consistent acts of service to others in the name of Christ, planting seeds of hope along the way. Tenille Rounds’ interview walks us through the grief of losing a child and the hope that God offers in the seasons of waiting. Jill Pearson’s book reviews highlight the spiritual disciplines and how we might cultivate them gently in our own lives as we seek freedom in Christ.
As we wait for our winter to slowly give way to spring, may the words of Ecclesiastes 3 give us hope that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens[…]. He has made everything beautiful in its time[…] (1, 11, NIV)
Beth Ecker is a co-editor of The Stir and homeschooling mama of four wonderful kids, from 6 to 16. She loves finding ways to encourage others in their faith, family life, and educational opportunities. Beth enjoys a great cup of espresso, plants and green things, travel, excellent literature, and baking.