“As
long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and
winter, day and night will never cease.”
Gray skies cast its gloom over me and frigid temperatures
kept me captive inside my own home. The landscape, dead and devoid of any color
except brown, caused me to question why anyone would like winter. Certainly I
didn’t, and recently I had made that known to anyone who would listen,
declaring that if I could I would retreat to warmer climates during the dreaded
season.
My attitude had been poor since I threw over the page of
my perpetual calendar on December 31st and read the familiar verse,
which quoted the very words of God Himself: “As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will
never cease” (Genesis
8:22).
I focused on the words “cold” and “winter” and groaned at
the reminder. I knew it meant I had to endure the long stretch of months, holed
up inside my four walls, with little evidence of life beyond. Nothing growing
in the surrounding fields or flowerbeds, nothing green except the algae growing
on my siding.
With all this negativity, I had to give this matter
pause. God said as long as the earth remains, we will have seasons. That will
not change. And as long as I remain on this earth, I will have to endure winter
(if I can’t escape to Florida). To make the experience more palatable, even
positive, I decided I needed to change. So, I prayed, Lord, if everything You make is good (1
Timothy 4:4), that must mean that winter is good. Help me to see the
good in winter. I am keeping my eyes wide-open.
