Hearing of the storms that are blanketing the nation, I know that winter can be a treacherous time for many.
Living in North Idaho and Montana we saw our fair share of snow and freezing temperatures. Nothing uncommon there. The evergreens would be flocked with snow and the deciduous trees had their bare branches covered with ice and their trunks packed with white. They looked stark and dead.
The young saplings were protected since they grew close to the base of the larger trees. The mind set of those facing such harsh conditions was Spring can’t come soon enough.
Winter comes to all of our lives both spiritually and physically. Winter is a time of resting, a time to rejuvenate; it’s not a time of death. Spring will come shortly and new life with break out.
“As long as the earth continues, there will always be a time for planting and a time for harvest. There will always be cold and hot, summer and winter, day and night on earth.” Genesis 8:23 ERV
If you feel like you’re in winter – cold, dormant and unproductive, take heart! God is working in you and through you. You haven’t been abandoned or deserted. New signs of growth will spring forth soon.
“Great blessings belong to those who don’t listen to evil advice, who don’t live like sinners, and who don’t join those who make fun of God. 2 Instead, they love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night. 3 So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream—a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful.” Psalm 1:1-3 ERV
As I was finishing this writing, a song from my time at high school summer camps came to mind, “Pass It On”.
“It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;
That’s how it is with God’s Love,
Once you’ve experienced it,
You spread the love to everyone
You want to pass it on.
What a wonderous time is spring,
When all the tress are budding
The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming;
That’s how it is with God’s love,
Once you’ve experienced it.
You want to sing, it’s fresh like spring,
You want to pass it on.
I wish for you my friend
This happiness that I’ve found;
You can depend on God
It matters not where you’re bound,
I’ll shout it from the mountain top – PRAISE GOD!
I want the world to know
The Lord of love has come to me
I want to pass it on.”
In the midst of your winter, remember Spring will be breaking out very soon! Pass It On!!