“It is snowing.”

How do those words make you feel? For me, the thought of a snowfall stirs a childlike excitement deep within, along with a sense of peace. Despite having been born in South Dakota where people know about snow, most of my life has been spent in Texas or Guatemala. Somehow, I’ve seen more snow the last two years than I have experienced in the last two decades.

While I was attending a Women in Leadership conference in Idaho a few weeks ago, it snowed. Not just once, but a few times!!! Not everyone shared my excitement.  Some of the attendees were ready for winter to be over. On an early morning walk though the freshly fallen snow, I thought about why snow brought me so much joy.

Growing up in Texas, moving to South Texas after physical therapy school, and now living in Guatemala, I don’t always remember there are four seasons, at least experientially and practically. As I walked through the fresh snow, I discovered the importance of seasons, specifically winter. There is much more to the importance of each of the different seasons, something I plan to look in to, but for now this is what God spoke to me about winter.

During winter, when the snow comes (sigh, deep breath, and smile), the ground freezes, the land lies dormant, farmers cannot work their fields, some things rest, others die, and many animals hibernate. Winter is a season of rest and waiting. On the surface much doesn’t seem to be happening, but while things are at rest, there are hidden processes, preparing for the next season.

Winter, I saw that day, is a picture of our need for rest, a time to allow God to work in our hearts and lives in ways we cannot see. It is a time of waiting with expectancy for what is to come and letting die what needs to die. It is a chance to rest and trust in Him.

Winter may come every fourth season for extended periods, but it also comes every night when, by faith, we put our heads on the pillow to sleep. We can sleep in perfect peace, knowing that He is the one holding all things together. There is nothing we can do except to trust and rest in Him.

We were created to live and operate in seasons. A look at the physical seasons can be guides to some of the natural rhythms of our own lives, rhythms and practices I may be neglecting in our fast-paced, do more, and high-tech society. I love the snow and winter because I’ve come to embrace and accept God’s gift of rest and grace.

There will be plenty to do when the winter is done; in the meantime, I will chose to follow his leadings and rhythms of rest and work.