As February quickly approaches, so does one of our nation’s quirkiest (in my opinion) holidays: Groundhog Day. Though this holiday is the setting for one of the greatest comedies of the 1990’s (in my opinion), I cannot help but find it bizarre that hundreds of people gather in the small Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney to watch a man dressed in the finest 1890’s garb pull a large rodent from a hole and have a conversation with said rodent to discover whether Spring will come early or not based on the condition of if the aforementioned rodent has seen his shadow or not. Full disclosure: I have not done thorough research to discover the, most likely, quaint beginnings of this tradition, nor do I feel it necessary to do so at this time. All of that being said, after facing several weeks of cold temperatures and lessened sunlight, it can be easy to feel gloomy and even depressed during this time of year. And as people look to a groundhog for answers about what may come, I take comfort in the promises that God has made in His Word.
After God destroyed all life on earth with a global flood, save for those on the ark built by Noah, He promised never to destroy the earth again with a flood. But his promise continues in Genesis 8:22-
“While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”
What’s more, Colossians 1 reminds us that Christ created all things, and in Him all things hold together (v. 17). And because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), we can rest assured that, though Winter may seem bleak, Spring will come again, no matter what Punxsutawney Phil has to say!