Winter is my favourite season. Now, the reasons that make me long for winter here in Delhi are many. Our summer is long and stifling with no end in sight. Our spring is a blur, and by the time you recognize that it’s here, it has actually left. Autumn is a sorry picture and is mostly spent in anticipation of winter. But there's more to winter’s joys than just being the best of what Delhi has been dealt.
Though there may be cons like sickness, travel delays, smog and a light wallet, I like being able to turn on the warm yellow lights at home and wear cosy winter clothes. Sip mug after mug of tea and bake my heart out. Make fun plans with friends and family and travel. I’ve written a bit about this season in my post Looking Forward, but apart from that festive air that tags along with winter, it's also the quietness and rest post-festivities that I have started to enjoy. It's easy to mistake this quietness as the lull after the hustle and bustle, but I have come to recognise it as a much needed respite for my body, mind and soul.
A time for Sabbath
Winter’s rest echoes the way God designed the Sabbath for us -- and those who work for us -- to rest and replenish our strength. Even the land was given rest every seven years. It can be a time to slow down and recover from the busyness and the packed calendar, to revive and rejuvenate and even subconsciously prepare for the harsh seasons ahead.
Unfortunately, we live in a time where busyness seems to be the mark of success in career or ministry or even parenting. Even kids are expected to be enrolled in every possible activity and their weeks are kept packed. God's design of rest seems to be a fading trend. Of course, there may be some who have no choice in the matter; busyness may be their portion, or season, shall I say.
Choosing to rest
The last few months have been a kind of winter for me both spiritually, emotionally and physically. There have been busy spells but there has been plenty of rest and time to just be and enjoy the people around me. There’s often been the temptation to look for busyness, but I have been constantly reminded through the Word to be still and know that He is God. To make the right choices even though there is always this creeping longing to do more, to be more. Thankfully, God has enabled me to use this time to build myself, and a few others around me, spiritually and physically. If I allow my spiritual and physical well-being to be taken care of by the right Source, I find that my emotional well-being is an automatic by-product.
Sometimes the winters seem to last forever. You seem to be waiting for something to happen which shows no sign of happening. Or you long to be able to do something that you can’t right now. Or something that was going great suddenly isn't anymore. God may seem distant, uninterested, silent. But that's when we need to remember God's promise to His people in Exodus 33:14 “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” That’s the time we ought to trust in His eternal love and His perfect timing and focus our energies in the roles He has placed us in for the moment. And do it joyfully, as unto the Lord.
And so even though my winter might stretch a bit longer, God's Word constantly reminds me to make the most of it by enjoying the time given to me. Investing myself in the right areas, keeping the focus on my Redeemer, the giver and fulfiller of my dreams. Being thankful for this time of good health and rest, before being plunged into the unknown summer to come.
And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." Mark 6:31
Photo Credit : Unsplash
