Joy in Winter
Meg Chaney
Doesn’t it feel like it should be Spring? Back in the South, it would be. My poor plants don’t really know what to think. They came from a warmer climate, only to be meant with ice and snow in February and March. We had a reprieve of warm weather, so my plants thought it was safe to come out but were quickly ushered back into their soil caves. I really hope they’re ok in there. I hope they’re doing their little version of hibernation, that that, eventually they’ll come out!
But for right now, at least, it’s winter.
“Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to You at a time that You may be found. When great floodwaters come, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.”
Winter, with its snow and ice. Winter, with its deceptively warm days between storms. Just what you think you’re past it all, it returns, freezing and thawing, and freezing again. Maybe it’s gone now? March can be such an unpredictable month, so it’s hard to say.
Isn’t that how it is with our emotions sometimes? We have good days, bad days, and then good again. Sometimes those bad days throw us for a loop. We aren’t expecting the sad days to hit. We aren’t expecting the stressful days to be quite so stressful.
With our cross-country move, I thought I had it all figured out. I thought it was all planned, everything was in order. Yet, even though we’re seasoned pros, even though we’ve done this many times, it was still hard. There were still days that ripped at my heart. Still nights when I dreamed of everything that could possibly go wrong. It was still a sad winter, beautiful and brittle, breathtaking and yet so, so cold and hard. Moving is like that. You hate what you’re leaving behind, but so amazed at what lies ahead.
Each time we move, I’m amazed at the Lord’s provision. He never fails to put us in the community of believers that He wants us to be in. They may not be the types of friends we’re expecting, but they feed and encourage us in so many ways.
This time around, I’ve been amazed by our neighborhood. Our welcome has been so incredibly warm. Our kids made so many instant friends. This community is unlike any I’ve experienced before. In three weeks, we’ve already attended two birthday parties, our kids have spent countless hours playing outside, and we’ve enjoyed chatting in driveways with our neighbors. They’ve check-in on me, and honestly cared about my mental stress and well-being.
In away, it’s the Lord’s rejoicing over me. I’ve had days and times where I’ve worried and stressed over the things we don’t have figured out. At the things that haven’t come easy. For one, homeschooling during a move can be hard! At the same time, I have a Savior shouting with Joy over me each day. Protecting and delivering me.
Psalm 32 says that the Lord protects us from trouble and surrounds us with joyful shouts of deliverance.
Shouts. Not whispers.
Sometimes we’re in moments when we need that still, small voice to guide us. Other times, we’re overwhelmed, overtasked, overcommitted and we need those “Shouts.” Those proclamations. Those overt reminders that we are holey and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12). Those reminders that He’s got this, even when we don’t.
And then, the snow starts to thaw. Maybe the flowers haven’t quite peeped out of the ground just yet. Winter may still be wavering, but we’re reminded of the Lord’s great provision once again.
Our sustainer. Our protector. Our provider. May the Lord joyfully shout His love over you today. May He thaw out the places that need thawing, and remind you of His love. May you experience His joy today!