Crammed with Heaven is a monthly column in which Jenni Pretorius Hill shares stories of hope which bring Heaven’s perspective to Earth
The changing seasons are not distinct where I live. We feel the dip in temperatures mid-year, but there are no autumn golds and reds to usher in a winter chill, and spring arrives with little flourish and blurs quickly into summer. I wish it were different. When I lived in the cold northern hemisphere, I loved the crackle of orange autumn underfoot and later in the year, the first snowdrops and daffodils that punctuated the sparse wintery scape like exclamation marks of joy. Like the constant promise of change in the seasons and times of the Earth, we can be greatly comforted knowing that likewise, in our lives, nothing is completely static; there is an ebb and flow, a rising and waning, dormancy and harvest. Or, in the words of Ecclesiastes “there is a season [a time appointed] for everything…” (Amplified)
One of the most devastating thoughts we can entertain while traversing the “dark night of the soul”, is that this is our “forever”. I think the enemy would have us believe this because it’s the surest way to hold us trapped in despair, so we fail to see the smallest shoot of hope. There was a period in my life where I fell prey to this thinking; I could see no off-ramp, no respite and I wholeheartedly bought into the lie that the barren wintered landscape was my forever. I understand now that hell’s strategy was to provoke me into taking my own life, because, if depression is the arrival lounge of life, the ultimate destination, what’s the point of going any further? Thank God I didn’t fall for that. While winter may be long, it always gives way to spring. What a great tragedy that too many Christians don’t hold on for long enough to witness the outworking of God’s faithfulness! He has promised us that He is able to turn our worst circumstances around for our good, that constant is His presence, and in it is fullness of joy.
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One of my greatest thrills in movie history occurs in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. It’s an apocalyptic scene; the demonic-inspired Orcs have breached Helm’s Deep – the stronghold from which the Men of Rohan are making their final stand for the survival of their kingdom. The defenders are completely outnumbered and they can no longer hold off the multitudes of flesh-eating Orcs who offer them nothing short of total annihilation, and their only hope lies in the promise made by the absent wizard, Gandalf: “Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day” he had said. “At dawn, look to the East.” He doesn’t fail them; as the sun rises, we see Gandalf appear on top of the mountain, astride his horse, and with him, the legions he has brought to the fight. They are lit up in golden light as they stream from the hilltops to devastate the Orc masses surrounding Helm’s Deep in the valley below. It is a glorious depiction of divine rescue; as sure as the dawn follows the night, God’s promise of redemption is assured. He will never abandon you to the devastation of hell. Look to the East friend! Look to the rising of the sun, where the Son of Man rides swiftly to your defence.
South Africa has shifted into spring. In East London, the pink and white blossoms of the Bauhinia trees are smattering pavements, and a budding Pride of India will soon drop purple onto our driveway. The contrast is not as apparent as the brilliant blooms that attract visitors to Hogsback at this time of year, but it is enough for me to know that what was, is gone, and the long days of summer will soon be here.
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