My wife Kristin and I are members of a large garden near our home in Northern Virginia. We enjoy seeing its transformation through the seasons. In spring, the garden is resplendent as tulips, daffodils, and other flowers appear, and delicate cherry blossoms bloom. In summer, it is lush and verdant, offering sustenance to Monarch butterflies, yellow finches, Eastern blue birds, and others benefiting from its bounty. In the fall, majestic oak and maple trees take center stage with a breathtaking array of color, as the garden’s other plants fade to autumn tones.
Scripture reminds us:
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease (Gen. 8:22).
Each season is indeed remarkable. However, the season I want to focus on is winter. With everything gray and cold, winter can seem like a lost season. But it isn’t. In fact, it’s vital for the garden.
The Washington Post on Feb. 9, 2017 featured an article on gardening by Adrian Higgins. Its evocative title was, “Savor the stillness of winter before all heaven breaks loose.” In it, Higgins noted the importance of winter:
Buds break into growth based on whether the parent shrub or tree has received enough of its winter chilling hours along with sufficiently warm temperatures. Because the chilling needs differ by species, spring is a progression of awakenings over several weeks.
Did you catch that? The stillness of winter and its “chilling hours” precipitate future growth.
It reminded me of a past visit to the spectacular Huntington Gardens in southern California. Located near Pasadena, home of the annual Tournament of Roses Parade, it features more than twelve hundred varieties of roses. While visiting there, I spoke with a gardener who explained that in this perpetually temperate climate they must at times artificially chill rose buds to prompt them towards new growth.
Even in that seemingly perfect climate, winter is vital for new growth.
I like the advice Higgins offered on treasuring winter:
So what may look like the depth of winter is actually a moment that is slipping from our grasp. For those of us who like winter as a period of rest and stillness, I offer this advice: Put down the garden fork for a while, stow the wheelbarrow and just wander about the garden to perceive those precious February moments.
I love that perspective. It applies not only to gardeners. It is also important that we as Christian leaders embrace the moment we’re in.
So, what about you? Do you feel you’re in a winter season?
The good news is that a winter-like season can be a time of rest, recharge, and redirection in which God prepares you for what is ahead. Take this time of stillness to go deep in your relationship with the Lord. Don’t rush ahead. Embrace this season and the work God is doing in your life.
How about your work? Does it seem to be a season that is more dormant than fruitful?
What feels like a winter season can be a time when God is preparing beautiful new growth to burst forth. So don’t get discouraged. Hold on to God’s sovereignty and love. Be faithful. Depend on the Lord, and remember Christ’s encouragement:
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (Jn. 15:4-5).
Enjoy the winter seasons of life with hope, knowing they play a part in the harvest yet to come.
Editor’s note: On “Flashback Friday,” we take a look at some of IFWE’s former posts that are worth revisiting. This post was previously published on Jan. 6, 2020.
This article has been adapted and republished with permission from Christian Leadership Alliance – Higher Thinking Blog.
