Redefining Winter

I don’t know about you, but something about the winter season kind of sucks the life out of me.

Maybe it’s because winter is cold and gloomy most days.

Maybe it’s because I spend most of my time within the warm walls of the house and they seemingly begin to close in on me.

Maybe it’s just because I can never do anything outside for my January birthday, and it bothers me!

Whatever the reason, wintertime is just not my favorite....but it makes me even more grateful that spring is finally here! And I love it.

There’s just something about it.

It’s the changing of the seasons.

I can so easily understand the majesty of God and His character when I see new life all around. I see it in the clear blue skies that beckon me to look up. I feel it in the warm temperatures that invite me to do something adventurous. I smell it in the fresh cut grass that the wind carries from yard to yard. I hear it in sounds of birds singing in the early morning mist. I know that winter has passed away, and spring has come to bring life once again.

The world around me is changing, but these changes reach my soul and enliven me. I feel the new growth inside of me, and I welcome it. And even though I don’t like the winter, I’m thankful for it....

I’d never love the colorful flowers so much had they never been missed.

I’d never know the beauty of spring if I never experienced the harshness of winter.

I’d never long to be outside had I never been confined to the inside for months.

I’d never appreciate the sweet warmth had I never endured the bitter cold.

I’d never be in awe of the green leaves springing forth on every tree had I not seen the deadness that plagued them only a couple of months ago.

We need the dull winter just as much as the vibrant spring, and I've come to realize that it’s the same way in our relationship with God....

We need the hard days just as much as the pleasant ones.

We need the lowly valleys just as much as the victorious mountain tops.

People often question why bad things happen. Why does God allow it? I think to understand why, you first have to understand that God is the point of all of this. He is the center of everything.

”“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God ; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭

God doesn’t exist simply to guide us through this life. Rather, this life exists to bring us back to God! If this life were the point of our whole existence, how pointless it would be.

I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in living this life that we forget the point of it all, and I think when we do that, we start to question God. But what reason does creation have to question the creator? We lose focus. When we begin to focus on creation rather than the Creator of it all, we question, we doubt, and we fear.

God allows us to go through the valleys, through the tough times, through the fire even, all because He knows we need it....

We need to know trial so that we can know God as Rescuer.

We need to know sorrow so that we can know God as Comforter.

We need to know hurt so that we can know God as Healer.

We need to know sin so that we can know God as Savior.

How else would we know how good God is if we never knew how awful a sinful world is?

You see, if life were perfect, would you ever find yourself seeking God? Desiring Him alone? Desperate for hope? If life were perfect, would you realize your need for God? If life were perfect, would you even believe that you need God?

Have you ever noticed that it’s in the valleys where we grow closest to God? That’s because it takes us going through the valley to look up towards Heaven. Trials are meant to expose our hearts in such a way that reveals where we need God to WORK and MOVE and HEAL in our lives. Then, we witness God do those good works within us!

I'm not one to ask for the hardships, but I'm always thankful for the growth that results from them.

And this is why we are able to consider it joy….

”Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.“

He's refining you, making your faith stronger so that you can endure whatever this sinful world will try to throw at you. Choose to believe that today!

Know that the season you’re in won’t last forever. If you’re in the spring season full of vibrance and life, praise God for that! If you’re in the dead of winter, trust that God is using it for your good, and praise God for that.

He is the author of every season, and you can trust Him with every chapter.

"Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12:7-10