I am not a fan of winter. I think I have a touch of
SAD—Seasonal Affective Disorder. I feel whiny and kind of grumpy during
January, especially. I just want to be a couch potato but yearn to be outside. The
winter landscape is drab and bare, the air cold, dry, and harsh on skin and
lips.
However, while looking for a gift for a relative, I visited a greenhouse. It was like walking outdoors on a warm, humid day! Bright green ferns and houseplants of all kinds thrived everywhere I looked. Though it’s January, there were hyacinths and daffodils that had been nurtured to bloom early! The color and the fragrance were amazing! Such an uplifting experience!
In our Christian life, there are times when we feel like we are in a spiritual winter. The world can be a cold, cold place full of slippery slopes and bleak outlooks. Greed and apathy and selfishness spew out everywhere. And all that negativity begins to rub off on us. It can bring us low.
And then, at the grocery store, we see an older lady from our church. With two items in her hand, she graciously lets a harried mother with a full cart and three little ones go ahead of her in the checkout line.
We hear the story of the local EMS who cared for the elderly gentleman who needed transportation from the VA clinic to the hospital. She then made sure his companion dog, who was waiting faithfully for him in the car, got safely to the man's home.
We receive a card in the mail from a Christian friend who just wanted to let us know we were on her mind and she was praying for us. It arrives on a day when we are feeling especially low, especially in need of those prayers.
Just as nature reminds us that night becomes day, and winter turns to spring, these acts of kindness we witness renew our faith that things will get better. They lift us up and bring us joy.
These are gifts from God Himself, who wants us to be filled with hope! “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Be encouraged!
©2023 Pamela D. Williams.
