Late Winter Musings

Psalms 23:3 (ESV) He restores my soul.

February and March have both seemed more like a rehashing of December and January weather wise here in Northeastern Massachusetts. While on the calendar spring is only one week away, winter has been unwilling to release its icy grip.

Yesterday, however, was in the 50s. We even ventured to open our screen in porch. It seems like forever since I was able to sit out here and enjoy the sights and sounds of the birds, the river, and our garden. Of course, I still can’t see the garden….it still has a good 6 inches of snow on top of it. But be that as it may, for the first time in many months I was able to return to my favorite place in our house and relax, rest, and enjoy the warmth of the late afternoon sun.

Winter may seem like it is lasting forever, that it has been going on far longer than necessary; but I was reminded the day’s warmth and the time to sit and rest, that its days are numbered. Spring will come, and that right soon.

When we are going through seasons of difficulty, pain, and struggle, we can feel the same way. Winters of the soul can make us wonder if our souls will ever enjoy the warmth of joy and the refreshment of grace. “How long can it go on like this?” we ask.

And then God brings you to an oasis of rest, where you are assured that as surely as winter will give way to spring and summer, this spiritual winter too, when it has completed its work and run its course, will pass. It will not go on one hour longer than necessary. It cannot transgress the limits God has set for it.

I am glad for that lesson. And in that knowledge I set my faith and hope in my God knowing that nothing comes into my life that has not passed through His loving and gracious providence.