I think you will agree the natural world has much to teach us about how our lives work. Many people think that other than being impacted by weather or beauty in nature there is not much more too it. I believe that nature actually has a whole lot to teach us that we can apply to our everyday lives. In today’s post I will delve into some more of the lessons that I feel can be gleaned from the winter season. If you’d like to see my original post about the winter season – you can see it here.
1 Prep when you receive a weather report that a storm is coming.
First I want to acknowledge that there is a mixture of feelings that can come when we are in a season that includes forecasts that we may be able to prepare for, but really have no control over when, where and how that storm comes in. At times I have experienced dread and/or anxiety when I’ve been informed of impending storm. Other times I have experienced indifference, kind of like, just let me know when it’s over. Still other times a storm is greeted by excitement. Over time I have come to understand that the very fact that my reactions can be so different, indicates that it is not the storm itself that is the problem. My reaction to it may or may not be what leads to the turmoil.
I have also seen that when God allows us to have a forecast of a coming storm, it is often to help us take steps to prepare. For a winter storm, this might mean gathering supplies. Certain forecasts lead to empty bread shelves. For a life-storm, it may be similar. Have you ever known a particularly packed schedule was ahead of you on your calendar? Have you ever looked at that as a forecast? Perhaps that is an invitation to gather up supplies or do practical things to ease your load during that time. A really practical thing I have done in these seasons is make dump and go crockpot meals. I love these because often the whole meal is contained in one dish. This makes clean up is easier. Also these recipes tend to be flexible on when they get eaten. Flexibility is often a key in these seasons.
2 You cannot shovel the snow before it falls.
Sometimes in the winter our mobility is temporarily limited. I don’t like this. But it is. Sometimes our mobility is limited because the travel conditions are just too dangerous. Sometimes we are forced to make decisions which acknowledge these limitations. With point 1 above sometimes I have found that I can over-plan for things and almost want to shovel the snow before it arrives. I’ve come to understand through nature that this is not possible. So, yes, plan, prepare the best you can, but understand that somethings can only be addressed when they actually come. A truth about faith is that you can only have faith “now”. Hebrews 11 tells us “Now faith is.” I find it so encouraging to realize that God provides grace in the moments we need it – when the snow falls, so to speak.
3 We don’t have the same amount of light in all seasons.
The facts are that in winter there are less daylight hours. And paradoxically this can lead us to further see the value in having light. Additionally the short days can be a time of rest. I think this parallels life quite well. There have certainly been times in my life when I have had to acknowledge I just didn’t have light or clear direction in a particular area. How much of my time was wasted in trying to figure it out in the dark, so to speak. Instead perhaps God was offering me to rest in that season, knowing He would bring the light in due season.
I hope these three lessons have been helpful to you. If you are in a winter season and would like prayer, please feel free to reach out.
In this post I wrote some of the first lessons I saw in the winter season.
