“Denmark only had 10 hours of sunshine during December.”
I’m an Aussie woman living in Denmark. My friend (who was at the beach in Sydney) was horrified when I shared this weather update with her the other day via our WhatsApp chat.
After eight years of living in this part of the world, I’m used to the seemingly never-ending grey that fills the sky during this time of the year. However, I’m also deeply aware that this is a time of the notorious “winter blues” in which the dark and cold can take their toll on so many people.
During Winter, we can find ourselves drifting into auto-pilot, waiting for the warmer months to arrive. Even if you’re reading this from the Southern Hemisphere and are currently in Summer, after a year like 2020, “survival mode” may still seem to resonate with how you’re doing on the inside.
Winter seasons happen to us all.
Times of challenge. Times when all seems dark. Times of loneliness. Times when it seems like nothing is changing or growing. Winter seasons of the soul. Can you relate to this?
Whenever I feel that I’m in a “Winter”, I remind myself of these two things:
1. Winter is part of God’s creation:
It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.
Psalm 74:17 (NIV)
2. Winter is part of God’s covenant:
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
Genesis 8:22 (NIV)
We can “Welcome Winter” and embrace this season when we realise that Winter plays a vital role in our spiritual, emotional and character development. Let Winter do its work!
Up next: I’d love to share with you Four Invitations that I believe Winter seasons extend to each of us. The first one is An Invitation to Draw Closer.
