This winter was warm until March blew in like a lion, delivering the only winter storm of the year after the forsythia had budded and the daffodils had bloomed.

It’s April now, but it remains chilly and gray. Despite the weather, the forsythia have flowered, and today I noticed a magnolia tree with closed blooms on it. The sight of the bright pink flowers surprised me, because it just doesn’t seem like spring. As I stared at the tree, I heard God say: “Conditions don’t have to be perfect.” …Right.

When are conditions ever perfect for a new venture? It’s never an easy time to make changes, strive toward goals, or launch something new. If we had to wait for things to be just right, how and when would we ever start anything? Spring is a season of ups and downs, and it’s the season when plants push through the cold ground, and when trees bud and bloom.

The year I was 29 I had two miscarriages. After one of them my father said, “It’s for the best. It’s not a good time for you to have a baby.” He was referring to our financial situation; yet within a year we had another son, and our financial situation remained tenuous. Life finds a way. That baby is 19 years old now, and he has two more brothers besides. Truth be told, we did earn more money as our family grew, but our financial situation remained mostly difficult. Yet all four boys are alive and healthy. Blind optimism might not be the right route, but without some hope and conviction, we’re stuck with frozen earth and barren trees, going nowhere.

What seeds will you sow into imperfect conditions? Will you start a business? Write some songs? Go to school? Get married? Have a baby? Change careers? The seasons are always mixed up. If I keep waiting for a certain block of time each day, I will never write a word. Maybe real growth requires some adversity. Maybe that’s what spring is about.

Conditions will never be perfect. What are we waiting for?