“He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes."
~ Psalms 147:16
Andrea had always considered herself
a one-season gal. She only enjoyed
summer with its hot sun, warm breezes, and cold popsicles. Summer is for swimming and vacationing, it’s
for listening to the cicadas, sipping wine coolers, and smelling lilac blossoms.
But then came the other seasons; fall and spring with their
winds and rain and, winter, where everything is frozen and ostensibly dead. Sure, winter in the Rockies is magnificent,
but winter in the Midwest, where Andrea lived, was a brutal battle against the
forces of nature: shoveling snow, treacherous roads, and cancelled flights.
Today however, she gazed out the window and gave thanks to God for
this day; grateful that while it was winter outside … it was no longer winter
inside her heart. For too long she’d
felt like winter languished there. For
too many years the world had seemed cold and harsh. For – ever, she’d foolishly avoided the
warmth of God's love.
Outside the grass lay frosted; the ground crunched beneath
her feet as she walked the dogs. The sun
was rising but did little to ease the cold. The snow had a purity that raised her spirit,
the world made pristine as a new book full of adventures. Even the chill on her face felt refreshing.
Andrea saw her breath noting how we don't see it in other
seasons. She caught a snowflake – so whimsical
yet geometrically perfect … and watched it disappear.
“God’s a genius,” she thought to herself. He carefully ordained every ray of sunshine,
drop of rain, bolt of lightning, and falling snowflake. There’s a warmth that tumbles out in the
winter time; when all else is so cold. It
radiates from those who love and nurture as easily as they breathe. In truth, the sparks of kindness are always present
no matter the season.
Andrea returned to the house and prepared for the day. She wondered how much complaining would be
eliminated from our lives if we could truly be thankful for the weather we
experience each day - the rainy days as much as the sunny ones, and the cold
days as much as the warm ones.
Friends - let those perfect plans go. Slide over that patch of ice, relish the cool breeze,
fashion a snow angel. Soon enough the
weather will change. Maybe you will too.
Almighty Father, don’t let my heart stall in Winter. Shine Your love and light into my heart and
soul, then let me share my Spring with the world. Amen
