O.K., maybe we won't shoot him. At least not yet. But if that pesky little critter really did hold the keys to an early spring or a longer winter...let's just say I would be fighting to be first in line at Walmart to buy a hunting license!
I'm not a huge fan of winter to start with. I love the other three seasons, but winter? For years I've simply endured it so that I could enjoy the rest of the year. Some times endure is really a matter of survival. I know, I know. I should appreciate every season because God created them all. Just like life has seasons. Some are easy to enjoy and others take a lot of work to get through. Learning to have joy in spite of the season, whether it is weather or life, is key to enjoying life.
I'm trying y'all! And I do find that I have a much more positive outlook on most winter days than I once did. I think the biggest reason I don't like winter is all of the dreary days without seeing the sun shine. Granted, I don't like to be cold and I hate to have to bundle up when I go outside. But it is the dreariness of it all that is most disheartening. It can be bitter cold out but if the sun shines, I automatically cheer up. I see a very real improvement in my outlook on life.
Thinking about how the sun can make a difference in my emotional/mental well being, I am reminded about how the Son makes an even bigger difference. No matter the season of life and how many gloomy days I find myself living through, having the Son in my life brings peace and joy.
I can't imagine the dreary hopelessness of life without the Son but I see it in the faces of people all around me. It may be the young woman asking for help with her rent, her sarcastic remarks and belligerent attitude covering up a scared and hurting heart. Or perhaps it is the man in line at Walmart giving the cashier a hard time because his credit card just rejected, wondering how he is going to feed his family. Maybe it is someone I see at church every week, living a 'church lady' life but inside wondering what it is really all about. So instead of dwelling on or grumbling about the latest weather report, I want to choose instead to focus on people. The people that Jesus came to give His abundant life to. The ones that are all around me every week. The ones that Jesus asks me to love and to tell about the hope found in the Son.
Notice I said I want to choose. It is definitely not something that comes naturally to me. My self-centered little self falls too easily into the poor me syndrome. So I am asking God to help me this week to take my eyes off the weather and to keep them focused on Him, wide open to see the people He will have me speak words of hope to.
Spring, with its promise of new life, is coming. Oh, the joy that can burst open in hearts as people are introduced to the Son, with His promise of new life. May we each be His messenger this week!
Hugs,
Molly
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