Winter

I love all of the seasons but Winter is probably my least favorite, primarily because the days are shorter and the temperature colder.  I am thankful that here in the foothills of NC our seasons are distinct.  It’s a good thing that the summers are hot and the winters are cold and over time I have grown to really appreciate the transitions. 

I have always loved camping and enjoy an overnight outside any time of year.  Going to sleep on a cold winter night is easy with my mummy sleeping bag.  I’ve had it for years and it has always kept me nice and toasty.  Waking—more specifically, getting out of that warm sleeping bag—can be quite a challenge.  There have been several camp mornings where the sun has risen and I’m lying there, wide awake, trying to convince myself to make the plunge out of the sleeping bag and into the brisk morning air.  I can’t begin to describe how thankful I feel if someone has already started a campfire and boiled some water for coffee.  Those two simple things make it so much easier to get up and get going.

For most of us, life seems to provide its own different seasons.  Some are warm with an abundance of sunshine and others are more dark and cold.  There are mornings where even with the sunrise it is easier and more comfortable to stay in your sleeping bag.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭CEB‬‬

On Christmas day Christians remember that God was born, in human flesh. He would live as an example to all, a shining light to reveal the wonder of life. He would die to set us free from the stagnance of darkness. That one single birth presents all the reason we could imagine to seize the day before us and His death and resurrection removes any doubt that we can. If you believe this, then you hold a great truth. Perhaps it is winter and it’s cold outside but the Son has risen. Be encouraged every morning by this greatest headline of news! Get up with the Sonrise, start a fire, and get the coffee ready so that those around you will be encouraged up and out of their slumber as well!