“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” - Ecclesiastes 3:1.
There was once a young dogwood tree that grew in a beautiful forest. Many different types of trees lived there along with a meandering, babbling brook. Birds flitted among the branches of the trees while squirrels scampered all around. The young dogwood did not think there could be a more beautiful or peaceful place to live. He enjoyed listening to the wisdom of the older trees as they whispered together in the breeze. He loved watching the nesting birds and to hear the chatter of the squirrels. The brook played a playful tune throughout the day and a peaceful lullaby during the night.
One day, the young dogwood awoke to find all the green canopy of the forest replaced by splashes of yellow, gold, and brilliant red. The colors were so beautiful he forgot to be concerned by the change. He was so enthralled by the colors he saw, he did not see there were other changes taking place. Soon after, a chill northern wind whistled through the forest. The young dogwood shook with cold. To his dismay, his leaves began to fall to the forest floor below. With each shiver, more leaves fell until none were left on the young dogwood's branches. Bereft without his beautiful leaves to adorn his limbs, the young dogwood fell into despair. The birds had left their nests and no longer flitted happily about. The squirrels who loved to play were hiding from the brutal cold. Even the melody of the brook only sang a lonely song muffled by ice at its edges. Feeling completely alone, the young dogwood cried out in despair, “Why?” But no one answered.
As the cold winter pressed in on every side, the young dogwood lost all hope. His beautiful forest home was home no more. The older trees he had once looked up to seemed to point barren fingers toward the sun that no longer warmed their trunks. So the young dogwood stared morosely at the cold ground and waited for the day it would end. His wonderful forest world had gone. He thought it could not possibly ever be the same.
One day, a soft warm breeze gently caressed the young dogwood's branches. A young robin lighted on one of his branches and asked, “Young dogwood, may I build my nest here among your branches?” The young dogwood replied dejectedly, “Why would you want a nest in a barren tree in a forest that no longer holds any beauty?”
“My young friend,” the robin replied, “open your eyes, for the winter has passed. All things are new again.”
After months of despair, the young dogwood slowly looked around him. How had he failed to hear the brook's song once again? And when had the other trees budded so that new leaves had grown? Still, the young dogwood did not revive. “The others have returned, and new growth has come to the forest. But why did the winter have to come at all?” he asked the robin.
“Young friend, look at your branches,” the robin replied. The young dogwood was amazed at his own transformation. In place of the barrenness of winter, his limbs were full of beautiful blossoms of white. “How can this be?” he said.
“The winter had to come, my friend,” the robin replied, “so that there would be beauty in the spring.”
Life is about change. Nothing ever stays the same, for better or worse. While we feel we might be in the winter of our despair, there is a plan of hope and a future for each of us. Situations arise that turn our world upside down - the loss of a relationship, financial difficulties, illness, or the loss of a loved one. God brings us through these trials so that we may become more like Him, showing others His love and beauty. When changes come, it doesn't mean it is the end of your world; it is simply just another season of change.