April’s Surrender Brings May’s renewal.

Sherry Hoppen
May 1
3 min read

Here we are—May 1st, 2025.

A few days ago, I was in a meeting when someone mentioned that an event was coming up “this Thursday.” I casually replied, “Wait, I didn’t think that was until May,” and she smiled and said, “May 1 is Thursday.” Wow. That happened fast.

But doesn’t it always?

That small moment stirred up a childhood memory—one of those elementary-school sayings so deeply ingrained that they reappear like clockwork every spring:

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
April showers bring May flowers.

I remember learning about another one in particular: the Maypole. I recall my third-grade teacher telling us about children dancing around a tall pole, weaving long ribbons in and out in colorful patterns. It sounded so enchanting that I raised my hand and asked if we could do it too.

We didn’t.

Probably because, true to Michigan, it was probably snowing among the tulips that year.

But this morning, as the rain beat against my windows in the early hours, I thought of May Day differently—not through the eyes of a wide-eyed third-grader, but as a Christian woman in recovery, deeply rooted in the reality of addiction and healing.

May Day doesn’t just mean celebrating the first of the month with spring dances and flowers. It also means a cry for help.

The phrase Mayday comes from the French m’aidez—“Help me.” It’s a distress call. “I’m sinking.”

And I’ve heard many Mayday cries this past month.

April was heavy in the faith-based recovery world I walk through daily.

I’ve sat with:

A family pleading for their loved one to stop drinking, barely holding onto the last strand of hope.
A woman who’s given up and decided to let alcohol win.
Another who’s been fighting so long, she’s weary—and I wonder how much longer she’ll keep trying.

This morning I went searching for Bible verses about hope, and Hosea 6:3 came to me—so fitting, especially with the steady sound of rain in the background:

“Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear... He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rains that water the earth.”— Hosea 6:3

Yesterday was brilliantly blue and sunny. Today? Definitely not. But even now, we know—without question—that the sun will return.

Why can’t we have that same unwavering trust when it comes to the hard things, like recovery from addiction?

We need to believe that what we surrendered in April will bring renewal in May. That the pain, the surrender, the letting go—it’s all preparing the soil for something new to grow.

April’s surrender brings May’s renewal. Just as the earth must be softened by rain before it can bloom, so must our hearts surrender to God’s timing to see His promises take root.

What if what you laid down in faith last month does bloom this month?

It’s possible. Don’t lose hope. Your Mayday can become a celebration of spiritual recovery.

Picture this: the ribbons of your life, held by the hands of those who love you, being woven into something beautiful by the God who never wastes a thread. A pattern of redemption that glorifies Him.

So today, on this beautiful first day of May, I challenge you to step into the bloom. Believe that you are a new creation in Christ.