A few days ago, North Carolina gave us a gift. Blue skies. Warm air. People in short sleeves. Windows open. Walks after dinner. You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief. Spring felt close enough to touch.

Then everyone quietly said the same thing. Fake Spring is here.

If you live in North Carolina, you know the pattern. February offers a preview. A warm stretch arrives and tricks everyone into believing winter is over. Flowers push up. Trees start to bud. We pack away coats. We dream about pollen and porch weather. Then, almost right on cue, the cold returns and reminds us we were celebrating too early.

Meteorologists call this a false spring. It is an unseasonably warm stretch that tricks plants, animals, and people into thinking winter has ended before freezing temperatures return. The warm spell wakes everything up, but the cold is not finished yet.

It is a tease. A preview. A promise that is not fully here.

Honestly, Fake Spring may be one of the most relatable metaphors for the Christian life.

Followers of Jesus live in a world of previews.

We live between the first coming of Jesus and the day He makes all things new. We have seen enough to know what is coming. We have tasted grace. We have experienced forgiveness. We have watched lives change. We have felt peace that makes no sense. We have seen glimpses of the kingdom.

But we still wake up to cold mornings.

We still experience grief. Anxiety. Broken systems. Broken bodies. Broken relationships. We still live in a world where winter has not fully released its grip.

The New Testament calls this tension hope.

Hope is not pretending winter is over. Hope is remembering that spring is guaranteed.

Fake Spring teaches us something beautiful. The warm days are not lies. They are previews. The sunshine is not imaginary. It is a real sign of what is coming. The warmth does not last yet, but it is evidence that winter is not forever.

In the same way, every glimpse of grace in your life is a preview of the future Jesus has promised.

Every prayer answered is a preview.
Every moment of peace in chaos is a preview.
Every restored relationship is a preview.
Every act of kindness is a preview.
Every Sunday morning is a preview.

The resurrection of Jesus was the first warm day of the new creation. The day death lost its authority. The day hope became irreversible. The day the long winter received its expiration date.

But just like North Carolina in February, the cold still sneaks back in for a while.

This is why Christian hope is so resilient. Our hope is not based on today’s temperature. It is based on a guaranteed future. We are not guessing that spring will come. We have already seen the first bloom.

Real spring is coming. Not maybe. Not possibly. Certainly.

So enjoy Fake Spring. Go for the walk. Open the windows. Feel the warmth. Let it lift your heart.

Then, when the cold returns, do not lose hope.

The preview was real. The promise still stands. And the spring Jesus is bringing will never be followed by another winter.