December 22 marks the first day of winter. We don’t have a long winter in Texas, and rarely a snow, but there is something rather serene and peaceful about snow. It is as though time stops, all gets very quiet, still, traffic stops, and at times I have thought that perhaps God wanted us to stop, just for awhile, to take a look at His magnificent creation. Snow……. If you have ever looked at snowflakes closely, you will find that no two are alike, but beyond that, they are the most transparent, fragile and delicate of God’s creation. Beautiful!

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22

“She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.” Proverbs 31:21

“Be still, and know that I Am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalms 46:10

God created man in His image, and above all that He created, man was His greatest creation. We are unique to Him. No other creation that He made can ever compare to mankind.

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7

“What is man that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For Thou has made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! Psalms 8:4-9

…and then there are occasions we will get an ice storm, and though not pleasant, when the storm passes, and the warmth of the sun returns, it is a glorious sight. Every tree glistens and shines through the transparency of the ice. I think then of how much like an ice storm our lives are during the saddest parts of our lives. The storm comes, freezes us, all is sadness, and our hearts feel as though they will never heal, but God is there in the storm, we just couldn’t see for the tears that clouded our eyes. Hope fills our hearts again, and it is then that we realize He was there all of the time, to lift our head, heal our hearts, and makes us smile again. Hope is restored.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

“God tempers the cold wind to the shorn lamb.”

“Still, as the dusk creeps over the ridgeline, I carry my rods and tackle to the edge of the pond. The day, another day, will end in disappointment.

But sometimes it also ends in fireflies.” ~ Rick Bragg
Eileen Light

“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22, NASB).

As much as we would love to have springtime last all year, this is not God’s plan.

Much of the United States has been slammed hard with winter storms, whether snow, ice, sleet, or as the weather anchors euphemistically put it, “a wintry mix.”

Most of us in Middle Tennessee had been housebound for a few days last week, with a gloriously beautiful but tragically deadly ice storm.

Many lost power, others were seriously injured in sledding accidents, and a mother and her ten-year-old son were hit and killed by a truck while trying to help a stranded motorist.
This leads us to ask, “What good is winter?” Well, we might be better off asking that question about mosquitoes, but that’s a subject for another day.

In the plant world, the winter cold is beneficial in many respects.

Many seeds are not able to sprout without “cold stratification.” The freezing of the seed’s outer shell and subsequent thawing help the germ inside to escape its captivity to realize its full potential as a sprout.

Multiple freezes and thawings with their accompanying moisture removes the chemicals that naturally inhibit germination, so that the seed can break its dormancy at the right time. For some seeds, they do best when they experience this naturally occurring warm and cold cycling before they finally get warm enough to break out of the seed case.

Some fruiting trees such as apples do better in colder regions where winter holds sway in its icy splendor for several months. Warmer climates tend to slow the flowers, to the point that pollination is not as effective and the late frosts ruin the early buds.

Cold can also be refreshing.

“Like cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a distant land” (Proverbs 25:25).

Good news can come in other forms as well. What better or more refreshing news is there than the Good News of the gospel?

“Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
Is a faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters” (Proverbs 2513).

After the heat of summer, doing the hard work of harvesting is better done in relatively cool weather. Last week’s ice storm was more than cool. But the thick coat of ice on everything turned the landscape into a winter wonderland!
Seeing the curly willows sparkling in the sunlight afterward, I could have spun a fanciful yarn about losing my diamond off my favorite ring there in the garden, and growing a diamond tree! It took my breath away with its brilliant majesty.

We must not ignore the dangers of the cold while we revel in its more dazzling qualities, however. Beware that we do not turn cold against the love of God and the love of truth. The scriptures warned against this during the time leading up to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, but it applies to us today; “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).

May the Lord of all seasons warm your heart and kindle your love for him all year long!

–Christine (Tina) Berglund  @ www.forthright.net