This time of year is usually pretty drab. Gray skies. barren trees. brown grass. desolate. Winter. I along with many individuals find this period very low on my list of favorite times of year. As I contemplated Winter I was thinking about the positives that also seem to arise.
Winter is a time of endings. It seems as if the year and many things are coming to a close. It's a time of re-evaluation for some. A time to look at how the previous year has gone. A time of finality. Just like the trees seem barren and empty people often feel that same emotion during this period. Depression and sadness are also common. Evaluating our year however is not a negative thing to do. It can be very encouraging to see how far we have progressed. We need to look at this time of year in more hopeful terms.
Winter is a time of Silence. Sometimes I enjoy walking through a forest during Winter. When the trees are bare and stripped of their foliage the beauty of their surroundings can sometimes be realized. I also enjoy walking outside on a winter night or early morning and with the brisk coolness you can feel revitalized and refreshed. At night the stars seem to shine brighter and the quiet is great for contemplation, prayer, meditation. It's a great time for being still both physically, mentally, and spiritually and let yourself be open to listen to what God would like to say without interference. Silence is often the best catalyst for creative thinking and innovative ideas!
Winter is a time for Hope. At the end there are buds on plants and new growth. Many plants can not grow without a period of hibernation. I believe we are much the same. We need a period of time for 'selah' in our lives. A period of pause and reflection and to look prospectively at our life. There is great Hope and expectancy about Winter. This is also the period of time when many of us create yearly to-do lists and resolutions. Moving hope from thought to action is the ultimate issue!
Finally Winter is a time for Beginnings. As I walk through a barren winter forest around March and see the new growth and the new leaves and flowers budding there is a renewed sense of beginning. The expectancy of Spring gives new vigor and life. Remembering that life moves forward is a great reminder of Winter. As much as we want life to remain the same the seasons prove to us that we are always in a constant state of change. How we manage that change is the key to a successful transition from season to season both in nature and in our own lives. Children become adults. Adults become seniors. Parents die and babies are born. Paupers become Princes and Princes become paupers and the joy of living is knowing that in whatever circumstance I am in is always temporary. It will change. I need to be in a place within myself to accept where I am and appreciate the beauty and believe that the next chapter or season is equally as beautiful in it's own way.
jamie
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