Bleak and Barren Winter

You laid out the four corners of earth, shaped the seasons of summer and winter. (Psalm 74:17 MSG)

Generally speaking, winter is not my favorite season. It's cold... And often rainy too. The trees are barren. The grass is brown. When I got up to a cold Friday morning, the last thing I felt like doing is hiking. What is exciting about a cold, brown, bleak mountain... Especially after the spectacular Fall I had witnessed?

But... I had missed a few weeks of hiking over the holidays and Kevin had bought me some cool hiking gear for Christmas, so I dressed in layers and off I went.

Of course, I was so glad I went! The mountains held a lovely surprise. Although the day was warming up quickly, the waterfalls were still glistening with ice. It was as beautiful as it was unexpected.

Are you experiencing a little winter in your life right now? Perhaps things aren't going as you planned. Maybe you lost your job and are having a hard time finding employment. Divorce, health problems, or death of a loved one? Life looks bleak and barren?

Look for the icicles! Look for the things that happen in your winter that surprise and delight. They are there for sure. But sometimes when the winter cold gets the best of us, we don't want to venture too far enough into it to find the surprises... And we miss out on the special gifts God wants to give us.

Whatever your personal winter is like, go find the icicles today. It will warm yor soul to find them.

Father,
Thank you for th lovely surprises hidden within our winter. Amen

Joys: getting back into my weekly hiking;a fun Saturday with Cecelia; good worship on Sunday.