There is something sacred about the first breath of spring. After months of stillness, the earth awakens. The air softens. Light lingers longer in the sky. Buds begin to form where there was once only barrenness. It feels like life itself is returning—quietly, steadily, faithfully.
And with it, something awakens in us: hope, energy, and a desire to move, to grow, and become. We begin to feel aligned—closer to God, more aware of His hand, more intentional in our efforts to live Christlike lives. We serve more, we forgive more, we try again.
It feels like we have stepped into a new season.
That is what it has felt like these past two weeks. An early spring wafted in on the heels of winter–and then, without warning, a snowstorm came, ushering in high winds and extreme dips in temperature–all warmth was stripped away. Within hours, the joy that had been felt was gone.
How often is this the pattern of our spiritual lives? We step forward in faith… and resistance meets us. We choose light… and darkness presses in. We begin to heal… and old wounds resurface. It can feel confusing and so unfair.
Why, when we are trying to do good, does opposition seem to increase? Yet this pattern is not accidental. It is eternal.
“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.” — 2 Nephi 2:11
Spring does not cancel winter nor does light eliminate shadow. Growth does not come without resistance. Rather, opposition is often the very evidence that growth is taking place.
Storms Do Not Mean Failure
When the storm comes, it is easy to believe something has gone wrong.
We may think:
- I was doing so well…
- Why is this happening now?
- Wasn’t I moving in the right direction?
But what if the storm is not a sign of failure—What if it is a sign of movement? Elder Jeffrey R. Holland once taught:
“So be kind regarding human frailty—your own as well as that of those who serve with you… Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with.”
And yet—He still works with us. Even in the storm–especially in the storm.
The Adversary and the Rising Wind
There is something else we must understand. When we begin to live more Christlike lives—when we forgive, when we serve, when we seek light—we become a threat to darkness, and darkness does not remain still. It pushes back.
President Russell M. Nelson has said:
“The Lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to His perfect power.”
But the adversary knows this. He knows that even a small step toward Christ invites power into our lives, and so he seeks to disrupt it. Not always with dramatic destruction. But often with:
- discouragement
- fatigue
- doubt
- distraction
A sudden storm after the warmth of spring, and yet beneath the surface something else is happening. Storms, though harsh, serve a purpose. They strengthen roots, deepen resilience, and test what is truly anchored
A tree that has never felt the wind cannot withstand it just as a soul that has never faced opposition cannot fully understand faith. What feels like regression may actually be refinement.
A Wider View of the Season
If we step back, we begin to see spring was not lost or taken from us. It was only interrupted—briefly—by a necessary part of the process. Because true growth is not a straight line. It is a pattern:
Light → resistance → deeper light Each cycle strengthening us more than the last.
What We Can Do in the Storm
So what do we do when the storm comes? We do not abandon the path or retreat into fear. Instead we do what we were already doing in the light:
- We pray
- We serve
- We forgive
- We trust
Even when it feels harder, especially when it feels harder. Because that is where transformation happens.
We are promised that the storm will not last. It never does, and when it passes, something remarkable becomes visible. The roots are deeper, and the branches are stronger. The light feels even more precious than before, and we realize we are not the same as we were when spring first came. We have become something more.
If you find yourself in a storm today, after a season of light, do not lose heart. You have not done anything wrong. You may, in fact, be doing something very right. Because the path of becoming like Christ has always included both:
the warmth of spring
and the refining of the storm
Both are necessary to become what He sees in us.