The Spiritual Winter
So we are knee-deep in winter, and maybe snow in some places now. This is the season of “apparent deadness with hope for new life again.” Last week I wrote about the literal deadness and darkness of winter and what I do to cope with that.
The spiritual equivalent of winter, the “apparent deadness” of the soul or spiritual life, is a hard place to be, but just as normal a season of life as winter is a normal season of the year. It’s necessary for many plants to go dormant or fields to lie fallow in order to be fruitful again. Can we accept the same for ourselves? I think it’s hard. The spiritual winter may be a time of doubt, or a time of apparent uselessness, or a time of no fruit. But something may be going on underground or deep inside and God needs us to be still to accomplish this thing.
The Celtic prayer book I quoted last week says, “The secret is to appreciate the value of these changes and gain the benefits of each and not become too discouraged.” I appreciate their use of the phrase “not become too discouraged” because some discouragement is inevitable. But how do we appreciate this season of spiritual winter? Here’s what I’ve found.
In a spiritual winter, I comprehend better God’s unconditional, unflagging love and the wideness of his mercy because I realize it has nothing to do with what I’m doing or how I’m performing or producing. I’m not doing a thing, and God’s love didn’t change one bit.
We “see” the other people in the same season and learn so much more empathy and compassion for others.
We may be forced to reexamine previous beliefs/doctrines/philosophies, and this is almost always a good thing. If it’s truth, it can stand up to the examination. If it’s not, then the “winter” is the quiet time to plow up the unplowed ground and find the truth.
If you’re in a spiritual winter, you may find yourself freed from other people’s expectations of you. You may also find you have more time to connect with other people on a deeper level. We can take advantage of those freedoms and opportunities.
Have any of you found a way to appreciate this season of life? What benefits do you see? I’d love to hear any insights from y’all.
