“Maybe these winter moments of life are ‘as good as it gets,’ and if we look a little close, it’s not only ‘as good as it gets,’ it’s greater than we knew. Everything that looks mundane and difficult and boring and regular and barren is actually holy and sacred, gilded with the grace of God and ‘thy kingdom come.’ “- Jennifer Dukes Lee
In Chapter 16 (“How to Grow in the Dark”) of Growing Slow, Jennifer Dukes Lee notes that one poll showed that fewer than 10 percent of Americans liked winter the most. Because winter comes with icy finders. Winder assaults our bodies and our psyches. Yet, winter forms one part of the natural progression of seasons on the earth. And the seasons of the heart.
Therefore, Jennifer describes what happens when we adopt the hidden gift of winter:
“When we adopt the pace of winter, we turn inward and take time to reflect. Winter validates the melancholy part of us, reminding us it’s okay to sit in the dark and be sad sometimes. By enforcing semi-hibernation, winter gives us permission to embrace the quiet, turn away from distractions and busyness, to find cozy corners in long-neglected places, and then to simply just be.”
Certainly, the author observes, one way we cope with winter as we remind ourselves that spring is on the way. But, Jennifer asks, what if we viewed winter as more than a season to tolerate? More than a required passageway leading to the prize of spring? For there are treasures to be discovered in winter’s room.
In conclusion, Jennifer talks about how frost, snow, and cold temperatures prepare the land for spring. In Iowa, farmers call snow ‘poor man’s fertilizer.’ Because when the snow melts, it quietly releases nitrogen into the soil. That work going on in the dark, below the surface, greatly impacts the growth of the coming year. Just as winter prepares us for the season to come.
Today’s question: What Bible verses grow you during these winter moments of life? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Rocks that surface in fields – or souls”
