Life's Winters and the Promise of Spring

    The chill of winter always amplifies the comforts of home for me.  When I look out my frosty window and see the cold drizzle blowing in from overcast skies, the trees swaying in the biting wind, I can't help but notice the strong contrast of my warm, cozy abode and the deepened sense of safety and security I feel being shielded from the barrage of unpleasant weather outside.  Even more so are these feelings heightened when my outdoor responsibilities expose me to those elements- I always hurry back inside to warm myself by the crackling fire, a hot drink warming my hands and my belly.  

    Winter is a time of slowing down, of gathering in with those most precious to us, with little to distract us from simply being together and delighting in one another's company.  We take the time to rest and nourish our bodies with homemade soups and seasonal treats, the scents of which fill the atmosphere and remind us of those pleasures that were forgotten during busier seasons.  Thus, even in winter, I always feel such peace within these walls.

    As I reflect on these things, I see so many parallels in my spiritual walk.  Just as a harsh winter would be unbearable without a home, so would the storms of life be unbearable without Jesus, for as our earthly dwellings provide refuge for our bodies, so does God provide refuge and shelter for our souls.  Whatever problems there may be in the world, whatever troubles may be present in our own lives, we can always run to him, for he is our Comforter.  Even in life's most bitter winters, he provides a safe hiding place, a retreat abounding with peace, rest, and solace. 

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.  Selah."

~Psalm 46: 1-3

    Sometimes- oftentimes- he uses these winters to bring us closer to him.  If we would just be still, if we would just put aside those worldly distractions and worries, we would find what is most precious. 

"Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ..."

~ I Peter 1: 6-7

     And as with every winter- however long it lasts and however unending it may seem- small glimmers of hope will eventually begin to emerge.  The trees will start to put forth their leaves, and the flowers and blades of grass will push up out of the soil; in time, the ground that rested silently for months will teem with life.  So does God breathe abundant life into our souls, renewing our joy, filling our hearts with gladness and beauty, and reawakening those forgotten desires that had so long lain as dormant as the seeds in the earth.  

    My dear reader, I've had a long winter, but spring is finally coming.

 

"My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.  For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.  Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."

~ Song of Solomon 2: 10-13