During January and February, cold and dreary days seem to drag on, with the cloudy days casting a dark shadow on people’s mood and energy. It is a common time for those who struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder to experience remission due to the lack of sunlight and tendency to be cooped up by cold weather. The shorter days and lack of serotonin impacts 5% of the population in the US in this way. At this point in the winter season, people often beg for blossoms and greenery, or a moment to soak up any sunlight they are blessed with. Occasionally, their prayers are answered for one odd week, known as “false spring.” During January or February, it is not uncommon for there to be a couple of days or even weeks that make it feel as though spring has sprung early and winter has gone to bed for good. In Siloam Springs, this came in the form of a warm 79° high on Feb. 9 and 28. Unfortunately, anyone with access to a calendar knows that typically a second winter is often not too far behind. For this brief period of “spring,” plants bud and people come out of their winter hibernation.
On John Brown University’s campus, the few warm days in February brought people outside of their dorms and to the Quad. Campus took on a joyful glow in the sunlight, with impending midterms and projects feeling lighter when not overcast by cold and clouds. Although spring had not officially begun, this false spring day gave a glimpse of the longer, sunnier days ahead and into the heart of God and His sustaining spirit.
Each season comes and goes in its time, and God sets our lives to the same pattern. Like the cold and the dreary, times of heaviness or strife weigh us down. The period in which the sun shines and warms our skin reminds us to soak in the light of the Father. Our weight is His weight, and He desires respite for us. When life buries a chill in you that won’t be resolved, no matter how many layers you put on, God is gracious to send a reminder of His provision and goodness. This reminder calls us to slow our pace, bask for a moment, and release the frigid concerns that have buried themselves within us during the winter season. As the warmth of the sun sinks in, there is restoration and empowerment that occurs in the soul and moves it through the final days of chilly grey.
After restoration comes anticipation. The anticipation brings with it a renewed ability to sit in the beauty of the icy and grey. The warmth reminds the heart that the dead will bloom again. Because of this promise, present moments can be savored, and the dreaded cold can be looked at with its own warmth and fondness. Like a coat that enables us to enjoy a snow-covered slope, God’s grace creates a covering during the winter of our lives.
This spurt of brief rebirth during false spring is representative of the image and heart of God, reminding us of His faithfulness and resting His hand on us. He is saying, “Sit. Look, and see I am good and beautiful.”
Photo by Ivey McBurnett
.jpg)