Did you weather the winter well?
I know we are starting to see the buds of spring and we already have sprang those clocks forward and the official day of spring is just around the corner (side note: I’m planning something special for the first day of spring so stay tuned). But for several days winter has been invading my thoughts.
What comes to mind when you hear the word winter? Frigid temperatures, short days, sitting by the fire and suiting up in sweaters and coats are just a few of the images that come to mind. You know another thing that gets my attention during the winter? Trees(actually that’s during any season). As I travel back and forth to work, I have been taking note of the trees. Of course a good number of them are standing bare in their full glory and some have the good pleasure of being evergreen. But it’s the many toppled, bent, and uprooted trees that have really garnered my attention. The toppled trees are not just new baby brush but one’s that have withstood several storms past. Yep big tall trees I’d expect to securely anchored.
Did you survive the winter? No I don’t just mean the natural season of winter but rather the winter season of your life. You know the season of our lives were it looks like nothing is growing-nothing is happening-stuff looks D E A D.
Winter for many of us is not the most welcomed season because of that death-like appearance. The world celebrations liveliness and making a showing. No one wants their barrenness to be on display. But how we manage our often unwelcomed winter seasons can impact how readily we embrace our spring seasons of life.
Photo Credit: Morgufile
Linking with: Fellowship Fridays at Christian Mommy Blogger
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We have to have faith – just because we can’t see any growth doesn’t mean it’s not actually happening.
*sigh* I certainly hope so, Alex. I’m really tired of waiting for it to bust out.
Now that’s very true Alex. Yet our human minds always seeks to see some evidence.
Thanks for the inclusion of my post. I found your winter reflections very intuned with my thoughts over the last few weeks. Looking forward to your thoughts on spring.
Hi Michelle, I enjoyed your thoughts and it was refreshing to find someone else thoughts has been turned toward winter even as we enter into the season of spring.
I love this, Wanda. So many times we only look above ground, but don’t realize that underneath what looks brittle, barren and broken twigs there is some tough roots that are as deep and as nourished below as it is cold and hard on the surface. I’ve used my winters to just take in and store up, because I know that when the seasons begin to change and growth starts popping in all directions, the reserves that were stored up in winter will be more crucial to my survival than ever.
You always have away of expressing things so eloquently LaVonne. Yes, that’s my point if we wast our winters we can’t really withstand the growth of spring.
I get so weary some times, waiting for my winter season to pass. I am not sure why it’s taking so long, but I am trusting.
I understand about the weariness of waiting Barbie. I find myself going through the hurry-up & come thinking.
When I think about my trees and shrubs in my yard, its the winter season that the roots grow and are firmly established, growth that you can’t see. I think it is the same way with our “spiritual winters” It’s those days when we tend to press into God, growing those spiritual roots
I would agree our outgrowth comes from those winter seasons. However it takes us keeping a mindset that winters have purpose to otherwise it’s easy to become discouraged when we don’t see in outward evidence.