“It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.” Psalm 74:17 NIV
Ah, winter…my nemesis. I have long deplored this cold and bleak season. Nearly every February, I dream of moving south to more moderate climes. Yes, I've even searched out real estate.
Winter makes me grumpy and edgy. It stirs up feelings that I am able to ignore in spring, summer, and fall because of sunshine and green grass and colored leaves and the ability to come and go as I please. Winter stops the mindless busyness and brings all of my “stuff” front and center. It speaks truth: You are not in control. The world can be very cold sometimes.
I am stripped down without the artificial happiness that exists during other seasons: celebrations and shopping and bustling from here to there and the warmth of the sun on my face.
But I have realized winter's lesson. This cold season forces me to acknowledge my reliance on God. In the months that stretch out like a blanketed field of snow, I cannot pretend that all is well or ignore the restlessness that inhabits my spirit. In fact, this gloom nudges me to draw closer to my creator. And if I experience deep abiding joy in the dead of winter, it can only be attributed to the one who promises a hope secured in a life beyond this one.
So even as I pine for spring, I bravely proclaim, “Bring on the winter!”. And I thank God for this season of discontent, in which I am reminded to rest in his great love for me.
It is enough.