Winter

It's getting colder. The leaves outside my window have just about died. Fog encapsulates the morning, and leaves its trace of fresh layers of frost. As I have grown up, I have always loved the change of seasons. I am captivated by the stark transition from autumn into winter. Seeing the ground become brisk and eventually frozen, coupled with my breath on a cold night often reminds me that this life here is temporal. But in the midst of this earthly life, there are seasons. I am understanding more about the seasons of my own soul and why they happen the way they happen. The winter of the soul is one of those seasons that inevitably come, sometimes unexpectedly. It is often a barren place. Feeling and emotion are rare. The monotony of life tends to dominate those weeks and months. It often feels like the exitement of life has died. And in most cases, it has. But in the midst of winter, there is still life. Its outward appearance may be lifeless, but inside every living thing life awaits to show its life again.

I think the Lord takes us through these seasons because they are a necessary part of our growth. In Psalm 1, it takes about how man is blessed if he delights himself in the law of the Lord. It goes on to say

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither."

I noticed that the fruit is produced in its season. At least the visible fruit. And that is what we all look for. We want to see the fruit our life. We want to know and feel the love of our Lord and see that love grow in the people around us. I think winters of the soul are there to remind us that even when we do not see or feel that love, it is still real. God is still working when we do not see it or feel it. I often need reminded of this.

November arrived again yesterday. Time continues to move and seasons continue to change. But as this body wastes away, His Spirit in us does not. There will be a day when there are no more seasons, and this longing for arriving face to face with Him will be met. But let us hold on to that longing, for it is what keeps us keeping on.



JN