Winter’s Embrace
As we enter this winter season, we find ourselves surrounded by a quiet stillness and muted landscapes - color fades, and life breathes out a farewell as days become longer with darkness. Trees, once radiant in their purpose, surrender leaf by leaf; the air grows colder with the sharp bite of frost.
Most people dread the barrenness of this season, preferring to cling to the days of summer - to hold onto the nostalgia of warmth and sunshine. And yet, by God’s wonderful design we have a chance to learn something here; just as there is a time for summer, there is to be a time for winter.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance...
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 | NIV
In recent years, God has transformed my heart to more clearly see winter as a tangible metaphor for the spiritual winters we encounter—the seasons of our lives when everything seems dormant, and the landscape of our hearts appears barren. Yet, Ecclesiastes assures us that even in these times, God is present and active. Just as the winter landscape is not truly lifeless (like our eyes see) but is quietly preparing for the vibrant renewal of spring, so too is God at work in the background of our lives during these heavy seasons. It is not a dead end as it appears, but instead an invitation to pull inward - or tuck away - for the pursuit of new life.
Winter invites us to emulate the hushed stillness of the world, to slow down and recognize the hand of God in the quiet moments. Though the trees may stand bare and the flowers seem to have faded away, they are, in fact, preparing for the wondrous blooming that awaits in the spring.
Similarly, in our lives, there are seasons of dormancy—a time to rest, heal, and renew our strength in the arms of our Heavenly Father. (It’s that “tucked away” feeling I mentioned earlier) It is during these times that God calls us to find solace in His promises, and to allow Him to work beneath the surface of our hearts - to lead us to new life and growth. Just as the earth needs time to regenerate, so do we need moments of quietude and reflection. It is in the winter seasons of our lives, when we lean in, that we learn resilience, patience, and dependence on God's grace.
Even more, it is an opportunity to know God deeper as the remarkable comforter He is.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 | NIV
Even in the trees there is breaking and loss. And yet as stillness takes over, as trees become vulnerable and bare, we can find clarity in how we see through the once dark forest. How within the barrenness of winter, light touches the places once lost in darkest corners. Finally, we can see through the places once guarded by the abundance of leaves and life.
Clarity comes from the clearing, and I do believe we NEED these seasons so that hearts can more clearly connect to our Father who longs to be close to us.
It takes a vulnerable type of surrender to let light in. It takes grieving to begin healing. While summer is a season of warmth and joy, winter is space to heal and rest with our Abba.
When your heart feels heavy, remember this:
It’s easy to think that winter doesn’t hold space for beauty - especially compared to the other seasons. But it is everywhere, hidden in plain sight, waiting on you to notice.
Don’t let winter’s harshness scare you from the gentleness that exists beyond the silence. It is not a time of abandonment but a season of intimate communion with our Creator. Let us trust in His timing, finding comfort in the assurance that within winter's embrace, the warmth of His love will bring forth a new spring in our lives.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 | NIV
