"Wait for Springtime" by Kishi Bashi
Reflection
Difficult times are a part of life. They usually come out of nowhere and they can shake the foundations of our life and faith. No matter how much money or success you’ve accumulated, there will be mental, physical, or emotional struggles. That’s how life works in the broken world we call home.
Like most people, I want to get through those difficult times as fast as possible. Let’s find a solution, heal the hurt, and move on to happier times. But maybe that’s not how we should approach trials in our life. I’ve experienced my largest growth during times of suffering. Times when I’m stripped of the illusion that I’m in control are when I most fully turn to God and put my trust in him. And he answers in his own way and timeframe. I often wish God would respond by immediately removing the hurt, but that’s not how he works.
Paul speaks several times in the Bible that we should rejoice in our trials and suffering because of the growth that comes from them.
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:3-5 NIV
I’m not about to throw a party and celebrate the next trial that comes my way. I don’t want to suffer or go through difficult times even if it will eventually produce fruit and growth in my life. But I also shouldn’t view those times as just an inconvenience to get through as quickly as possible. This song by Kishi Bashi is a good reminder that sometimes we just need to wait for springtime. In the darkest days of winter, we can cling to the promise that spring will come. We cannot make spring sooner, just as we can’t process our grief or suffering faster; it takes as long as it takes. We cannot make God act on our timelines; we wait, trusting that He will provide. That also means when loved one are suffering, they might just need someone to sit with them through their trial and help them wait.
Below I’ve included quote by Kishi Bashi with a description of the video he produced for this song. For those of us not familiar with Japanese folklore and legend it provides useful context to the video but there’s also a great line he includes that summarizes the song well: “Knowing that spring is coming—and all that it symbolizes, like rebirth and renewal—gives people the strength to endure a harsh winter.” During Lent we dwell in the harsh winter of our faith. We acknowledge and give voice to our pain and suffering. But know that spring is coming and hold to that promise for strength when the winter can seem overwhelming.
Links
The tanuki (raccoon dog) and kappa (the river yokai) are a big part of Japanese folklore, and they’ve been in my consciousness alongside big foot, mermaids, and fairies. Knowing that spring is coming—and all that it symbolizes, like rebirth and renewal—gives people the strength to endure a harsh winter. In this video, these creatures eventually find a new home after surviving a genocide of their monster species. Phil Jasen, the artist, is a wonderful puppeteer, and the shadow puppet story is based on the Japanese legend of ‘Tamamo-no-Mae,’ in which a shapeshifting fox seduced several kings throughout Asia, only to be ultimately vanquished by a Japanese samurai. Like in Princess Mononoke (and many Hayao Miyazaki films), magical creatures are constantly hunted until they are pacified and reborn into mythology and legend.
-Kishi Bashi
Lyrics
The magic of the season
Was second to no one
We came to gather in springtime
The summer came too fast
And the acre of a hill
Was suddenly big and small
T'was empty in the winter
I'll just wait for springtime
And I wanted you, so savage
Things that gentlemen admire
The most famous are the sinners
We were silenced all but one
I was reaching for the stars
But the rockets fair thee well
But the view on еarth is magic
I'll just for wait for springtime
Wait for springtime
Wait for springtime
Sunny days arе behind every cloud up in the sky
Winter's coming from above and below
We'll be ready somehow
Heaven, save us for now
Heaven, save us from the rain
Wait for springtime
Wait for springtime
And they sentenced us forever
In prison for no crime
Our hearts are made of tender
With no room to nickel and dime
When the carriage stops at night
Will you think of our farewell?
The music plays in silence
I'll just wait for springtime
Wait for springtime
Wait for springtime
Sunny days are behind every cloud up in the sky
Winter's coming from above and below
We'll be ready somehow
Heaven, save us for now
Heaven, save us from the rain
Wait for springtime
Wait for springtime