Reason #343
The world did not end today. It is the official beginning of winter today, so maybe what the Mayan's were trying to say was that December 21 was the end of fall.
Oh, winter. I must be honest and say that winter is my least favorite sesason. Shorter days, colder weather, darker colors. Were it not for the holidays, winter wouldn't have much of a chance in my book. Maybe that's why we squeeze so many holidays in at the end of the year. Helps us get through the tough season a little easier.
I always anticipate spring. If it were up to me, we'd skip from fall to spring. Winter is a necessary season, however. Winter comes with a purpose. One of the things I least like about winter is the lack of life. There is hardly any color to be found outside of decorations. Everything dies during winter, which is kind of despressing. I begin to long for warm evenings. For sunsets that come at 8:30, not 5:30. For flowers in bloom, trees covered with leaves, soft grass, and warm breezes. I love spring, simply put. I love the season and all that comes with it. So why winter? Why must it be a prerequisite?
I think winter prepares us for spring. Wouldn't we take it for granted if we had perfect seaons all the time? Would we actually appreciate those things if they never left? Would we be grateful for them? For the warmth and life? Sometimes death has to come to give life, right? And that's the case with winter. Death comes in different forms, but it doesn't last forever. Life is soon to follow. It's beautiful, even more beautiful because of what it came from. Think about it, isn't it more impressive to see a tree come to life, to watch it bud and then bloom after it spent the past many months bare? The tree hangs in there through each season, trunk and brances and roots, but there is something really beautiful about the fact that it is, once again, getting the opportunity to have new life, another chance.
And so winters come. They do. Some come slowly and last for quite a while. Some come quickly and leave quickly. Each winter accompanied by more dark than light. And it is in that season we often feel bare.Stripped of what we had and we are lying dormant, waiting it out. Longing for that season of warmth and color. But all we can do is wait and hang in there. Because winter has a purpose. If anything, during winter, we learn to apprecaite spring. We learn to quit taking it for granted. And we learn a lot about ourselves during winter, too. But remember that with all death, new life is soon to follow. Another opportunity, new chances, only a season away.
So I suppose I am thankful for winter. For the season that holds a promise of new life to come. For a season that prepares my heart for spring. A season that teaches me about myself, refining me, shaping me, and creating anticipation for beloved spring. And what a sweet thing it is knowing spring is only a season away, That is enough encouragement to give one the hope they need to hang in through winter. And it gives me a joy in knowing that there is always an opportunity for a new and beautiful life. An opportunity that isn't too far off, either. Winter, it will end. Spring, it will come. It always works that way.
#343 - Because winter serves a purpose and prepares us for spring!
Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. - Genesis 1:14
Oh, winter. I must be honest and say that winter is my least favorite sesason. Shorter days, colder weather, darker colors. Were it not for the holidays, winter wouldn't have much of a chance in my book. Maybe that's why we squeeze so many holidays in at the end of the year. Helps us get through the tough season a little easier.
I always anticipate spring. If it were up to me, we'd skip from fall to spring. Winter is a necessary season, however. Winter comes with a purpose. One of the things I least like about winter is the lack of life. There is hardly any color to be found outside of decorations. Everything dies during winter, which is kind of despressing. I begin to long for warm evenings. For sunsets that come at 8:30, not 5:30. For flowers in bloom, trees covered with leaves, soft grass, and warm breezes. I love spring, simply put. I love the season and all that comes with it. So why winter? Why must it be a prerequisite?
I think winter prepares us for spring. Wouldn't we take it for granted if we had perfect seaons all the time? Would we actually appreciate those things if they never left? Would we be grateful for them? For the warmth and life? Sometimes death has to come to give life, right? And that's the case with winter. Death comes in different forms, but it doesn't last forever. Life is soon to follow. It's beautiful, even more beautiful because of what it came from. Think about it, isn't it more impressive to see a tree come to life, to watch it bud and then bloom after it spent the past many months bare? The tree hangs in there through each season, trunk and brances and roots, but there is something really beautiful about the fact that it is, once again, getting the opportunity to have new life, another chance.
And so winters come. They do. Some come slowly and last for quite a while. Some come quickly and leave quickly. Each winter accompanied by more dark than light. And it is in that season we often feel bare.Stripped of what we had and we are lying dormant, waiting it out. Longing for that season of warmth and color. But all we can do is wait and hang in there. Because winter has a purpose. If anything, during winter, we learn to apprecaite spring. We learn to quit taking it for granted. And we learn a lot about ourselves during winter, too. But remember that with all death, new life is soon to follow. Another opportunity, new chances, only a season away.
So I suppose I am thankful for winter. For the season that holds a promise of new life to come. For a season that prepares my heart for spring. A season that teaches me about myself, refining me, shaping me, and creating anticipation for beloved spring. And what a sweet thing it is knowing spring is only a season away, That is enough encouragement to give one the hope they need to hang in through winter. And it gives me a joy in knowing that there is always an opportunity for a new and beautiful life. An opportunity that isn't too far off, either. Winter, it will end. Spring, it will come. It always works that way.
#343 - Because winter serves a purpose and prepares us for spring!
Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. - Genesis 1:14