#embracingwinter

Embracing the Winter

Can we embrace the cold, obscure and bare winter of life with grace and gratitude? Why can’t every season be springtime? These are questions I have asked myself during the winter seasons of my life. What is a winter season? To me its the season of uncertainty, of sickness, of lost of a loved one, lost of a job... To some of you it’s divorce, tragedy or something you can’t seem to handle, surpass or overcome. King David describes winter in Psalms 23: 4 as the valley of the shadow of death.

“4 Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness,

  I am not overcome by fear.

Because You are with me in those dark moments,

  near with Your protection and guidance,

  I am comforted.”

In my own life, I have learned to not question the valley but allow God to do what’s best for me. Even though most of my questions don’t get answered while in the valley, I end up understanding its purpose once out of the valley. I have realized and learned to embrace each and every season. Sometimes I do it well and sometimes I kick and scream the whole way out. But His love always comforts me and carries me through. King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1 , “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” Solomon lets us know that change is inevitable. We have to go through these changes so we can grow, mature and learn to trust God and be prepared for the battles Satan attacks us and sends our way.

I love spring time. Everything is green, alive and fresh. Everything lost during the winter gets restored back. In our lives, we can only blossom in the spring if we allow God to take us through the winter. Our winter determines what kind of spring we will have. Like trees, God prunes us for greatness during the fall and winter seasons of our lives. Yes, just like the word “fall” suggests, during this trying season, things fall off our lives. We lose all the toxic things in our lives. 

In John 15, Jesus tells us that He has to cut off branches that doesn’t produce fruit in our lives. He then prunes away good branches so that great harvest will come out of our lives. I have discovered that God’s plans are the best and all I have to do is allow Him to do what He knows best. What does pruning look like? Well, its a process of stripping away comforts, compromises, habits and anything in us that is stopping our spiritual growth. Did you know that good is the enemy of best? If it is up to my ignorance, I will be satisfied for with “good” but God loves me too much to let me settle for just good. No, He wants you and I to have a full and abundant life.

I am not by any means saying it’s easy. I can't imagine what you are walking through. With young children sometimes I feel like I am in the winter of no rest, of sleepless nights, ear infections, runny noses, cold and constant fatigue. Honestly, there are times where Hibernation seems so appealing. All I want to do is hide in my cave until my children are all grown, are godly and great citizens. But I know none of these can come about if I don’t allow God to take me through winter. The winter of life teaches me to pray for my children, for my husband, for God’s destiny for their lives and my own. The winter teaches me to pray God’s perfect will for my family.  God wants me to turn every valley into altars of prayer and spiritual fitness. I will not say it has been easy; far from it. It challenges me every day to trust God’s presence. I am learning to claim God’s promises and to speak them into every circumstance. The winter turns me into an undefeated warrior. I refuse to let Satan steal my joy, sleep, strength and blessing.