2 Thessalonians 2:15-17
My friends, that's why you must remain faithful and follow closely what we taught you in person and by our letters. God our Father loves us. He is kind and has given us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father will encourage you and help you always to do and say the right thing.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In 1872, Christina Rosetti wrote the hymn “In the Bleak Midwinter” in response to a contest by Scribner’s Magazine for a Christmas poem. The first lines read:
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
We can’t know what the next couple of months will bring us… sunny warm days, or layers of fluffy white snow to cover our landscape. There will surely be days when we think spring has come early… and possibly days when we feel winter will never end. For many, the “bleak midwinter” is a time of sadness and depression. Some truly sink into a serious “funk” on days when we have no sunshine… and if this lasts for very long, these people can be seriously affected. It has even been suggested by some that spending time in front of a lamp that mimics natural sunlight can help. This disorder even has a name… “SADD” – Seasonal Affective Disorder Depression – and it is very real.
I know several people who appear to suffer from this. And maybe you are one of them. Feeling a little sad or melancholy in a dreary winter day is okay… but wallowing in it or allowing these feelings to overcome you is another. I would like to suggest that we take the bleak midwinter days of this year and use them to grow in our walk with Christ – to rest and restore our souls. Wouldn’t it be great if we could learn to anticipate cold dreary days with enthusiasm?
So how do we do this? There are the tried and true activities… curling up with a good book or watching movies… working a jigsaw puzzle or playing board games… sledding if there is a decent snowfall. But what about using the dreary days of winter to grow as a Christian? We could spend some time sitting at a window watching birds at a feeder – marveling at how God designed every single feather and made the color patterns integrate in such incredible ways.
We could take a walk or a drive and look at all that is laid bare in this season… the things we never see in the other three seasons because of the cover of foliage… the intricacy of tree branches… the beauty of blue cedar berries and other “colors” of winter… swans and other waterfowl swimming on a nearby lake. What if we made a steamy pot of hearty soup and invited friends or neighbors to share it… or we took a container to someone who was elderly or sick and in need of physical – and emotional – nourishment?
We could look around for an elderly neighbor who has trouble getting his/her garbage to the curb for trash day in the cold of winter. We could offer to fill bird feeders – or even shovel/sweep an icy sidewalk. We could at least make phone calls and send cards and notes to cheer our friends who are feeling blue… and we could include a scripture of encouragement.
The bottom line is that we must not allow the bleak midwinter to be our crutch for wallowing in sadness and self-pity. We must find the glory of the Lord even in the dreary days. It’s not a matter of looking ahead to spring… but rather, we must enjoy this season, which is also a gift from God. This is a time to sit back a little and focus on God’s creations and the needs of others instead of the “busyness” of our lives and the activities of spring/summer/fall. We don’t have to hibernate like bears, but we can slow down a bit and use this time to recharge our batteries.
When the first days of “bleak midwinter” arrive, remember the eternal comfort and wonderful hope of God our Father. Bask in these promises… and find ways to share them with others. Spring will come again… and we will be rested and ready!
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/n/intbleak.htm
©2010 Debbie Robus
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