Times and Seasons

I love the Springtime! It is so beautiful. Flowers and trees are in bloom, grasses grow and the world just seems more alive. The weather begins to warm, but there are still cool, pleasant showers. All is working together to help life begin again and to flourish. I do love the springtime. It seems silly to say "It is one of my favorite seasons" since there are only four (or three if you live in Utah). Actually, my favorite season is the fall. Which, coincidentally, is the exact opposite of the springtime. The Fall seems so peaceful to me; the changing of the leaves, the cool frosty mornings, the quiet stillness as things seem to fall asleep. It is so beautiful despite the fact that it is a time of ending, decay, and death (that sounds a little grim). It isn't exactly a time of death though, but more of a time of hibernation. And yet, if it weren't for springtime it would be grim. If the fall came, and we knew that the springtime wouldn't come to renew all of nature that was dying, could it be beautiful? It would seem oppressive, depressing, all consuming. We do have a spring though; we know that in a few months time we will begin to see all that has passed return. Beauty, life, glory restored! So is it our faith in the spring that makes the fall beautiful? The Fall lends glory to and brings the true power of spring to our understanding... (I think you all can easily take this next step with me.)
We have just been privileged to celebrate the single greatest event that has happened in the history of the world (and beyond). The Atonement of the Son of Man. When Jesus Christ performed the acts that made him our Savior. He created this world, it's times and it's seasons. He organized them in a way so as to teach us and to help our understanding of the great sacrifice that he has made for us. Just as the Fall is an ending of life, all must come to the end of their own immortal life on earth. If there is no hope of a Spring than Fall is only an ending. And so if all mankind died and that was the end, then it would indeed be oppressive, depressing, and all consuming. However, we have all been given a Spring, a time of life again. That is the gift that He has given to us all. Life Again! And it isn't only for a chosen few, but for all men. Just as we watch in wonder at the beauty of the passing away of life in the fall, we can find joy in the passing of all life that has fulfilled the measure of it's creation.
Yet, the symbol does not end there. In our own lives we may see the beauty of this "new life" over and over again. We have been given the hope of a Spring not only for our bodies, but for our very souls. We may each, at different times, feel a falling away, a dying inside. We may feel that the hope of Spring is gone for us; that we have truly died and that in this we come to a dead end. Do not lose hope in Spring too soon. Life, like hope, Springs Eternal! We are given the hope of Spring over and over again, but our Spiritual Spring requires something from us (unlike the physical spring that we will all be given freely). Just like the seed cannot become the mustard tree by staying a seed forever; it must be nourished and fed, and then the seed itself needs to open and push itself upward towards the light. So, too, we must be fed and nourished, and push ourselves toward the Light of the Son that warms the Earth and brings forth new life. I know that death is not the end of this life. I know that our spiritual falling away can be turned into an opportunity for new life, if we are nourished by the word and warmed by the love of God. Hope "Springs" Eternal, do not despair of the Fall, and He will raise us up through His Love and our Faith to an Eternal Spring.