Bid farewell to rainbow leaves -
Welcome wool sweaters.
~B. Cybrill
Seems things are crazy around me.
My daughter is graduating from high school, with a looming bill for Cosmotology in my future.
My dad’s health isn’t the greatest
Work is super stressful and super busy
But this I know, God is here.
I’m in a winter stage in my spiritual life…
I have heard that tree roots grow in the winter. Unfortunatly, I feel pretty unblooming these days.
You see, encouragement and love come easy for me in the spring, summer, and fall of my spiritual life. And I am so very thankful that I have the gift of encouragement. It seems more of a gift to me though because I am always the receiver of a hug or a smile. I get to see people achieve their goals/dreams (no matter how big or small) sometimes because I have encouraged them. It is amazing.
Some people LOVE winter, they love snow, they love that they get to hunker down, enjoy the rest. Me… not so much. In the ‘real seasons’ of our life, we prepare for winter. We plant seeds in the spring, the seeds grow in the summer (isn’t it amazing to watch the miracle of plant growth – seriously), in the fall the harvest (we can, preserve, freeze) in order to get ready for the ‘hunker down’. I think that in all the globalization of fruits and veggies, we have spoiled our winter. Sure, it truly is fabulous to have strawberries in December, but not sure if that is how God intended.
As someone who rarely slows down, winter is hard for me. Sometimes that cold is hard for me to deal with. Sometimes putting on a big coat, boots, gloves, cleaning off the car slows me down, driving slower, because I can’t get where I need to be faster, it means I do less, and I don’t like it one bit. Not one bit.
But I am in winter. I think that the seasons of our life are on a much different time than the ones in our daily lives. I feel like I had my spring where God just came alive to me, summer – lots and lots of growth, fall – the harvest, wow, some big things happened to me in the last 6 months, big things I tell you, the way I feel, the way I think, the way I love. Amazing. But its winter now, it means reading, growing deeper. Reading my bible, praying, fasting from things that prevent me from the reading and praying. I’m even sleeping more. I’m trying to enjoy this time, the slowing down, the resting, knowing that God has great and beautiful things ahead. Falling into His word, His beautiful love letters to me, the unveiling of my destiny and beauty.
Ecc 3:1-8
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
P.S. Winter is lonely
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