Fresh snow covers the ground outside my window, sparkling in the sunshine. My children are planning skiing trips, ice-skating parties and sledding expeditions. The grandchildren bundle up in their snowsuits and mittens to shuffle trails into the new snow and build forts.
I enjoy winter’s beauty, but winter is work, too. I shovel snow, scrape car windows and navigate the icy streets to check on elderly relatives. Thick clothing, uncertain footing, and the temperature make every job more challenging, and the cold saps my strength.
At the end of the day, how glad I am to enter the warm house and shed the heavy damp layers for dry socks and slippers, a hot drink and a soft chair. A warm house in winter is a refuge, a place to recover before the struggle of the next day.
Sometimes there’s a hitch. I have to brave the cold again for some reason even when I’m tired. The furnace goes out or a water heater bursts. Or there’s a quarrel I have to straighten out before there’s peace in the house. All this only underlines how much I need warmth and peace to strengthen me for the next day.
God created the seasons for our pleasure and edification. Through the world around us, he teaches us about his ways.
Today, I’m reminded how much I need to be restored by daily fellowship with Jesus. Just as the warm house restores me for the next winter day, my time with Jesus comforts and strengthens me for the spiritual struggles ahead. Jesus — my true rest and home — treats my wounds, shines light on my perplexities and gives me strength to carry on with a cheerful heart.
Betts Baker is a freelance writer who loves watching for God’s innovative solutions to life’s problems. Her personal essays explore family life, parenting, and spiritual growth. She can be reached at bettsbakerwriter@gmail.com.
