“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ~ Anne Bradstreet
When I step out of my house lately, I hear the words of the song, “Baby, it’s cold outside.” And, baby, it is! Yet, I know that the cold will end soon. It is only a short walk between the house and the back door of the parish office. I know that the cold that I will face will be brief and then I will be inside a warm building again.
Sometime we know that relief is coming. Other times in our lives, we might not have those same assurances. When darker times come to us, we often wonder how we are going to make it through. With determination, a bit of luck, and a healthy dose of God’s grace, we always seem to make it, though. When we do, we are that much more thankful for what we have, knowing that there might come a day when we have not.
Life is so very much like that. We have the colors of the spring, the heat of the summer, the breezes of the fall, and the cold of the winter that come into our lives. One season leads to the next and we learn to appreciate each season that much more.
In our spiritual lives, we often drift from one moment to the next. Some days, prayer comes really easy for us. Other days, we might feel spiritually empty. Still other days, we struggle to figure out what is right and wrong, good and bad, and where we may have strayed.
In all those occasions, God is with us. In all those moments, He is willing to give us what we need to get to the next moment in our lives. When we do, we are that much more appreciative of the God who cares for us, who walks with us, and who provides for us.
It will not be cold forever. But, in the cold, we appreciate the warmth that much more. If our relationship with God is a bit on the cool side right now, remember that it is we who stray from Him and never God who walks away from us. If your life is filled with darkness and cold, turn to the light and warmth of the Son.
FAITH ACTION: Ask God to help all those who have no shelter from the snow and the cold, that they be provided for throughout these months and come to know God’s love for them.