Elizabeth, over at Just Following Jesus, recently wrote a post entitled, Come Winter, and I must say it really touched my heart on so many levels. Elizabeth's daughter and family are moving cross-country in preparation for mission work. She writes about it so eloquently in this post, Letting Go, looking ahead.
It reminded me of a book by Chuck Swindoll my husband blessed me with many years ago, Come Before Winter. I highly recommend it and although I haven't read all of Swindoll's works, his writings have helped me grow.
Come Before Winter is basically a book helping us prepare for the leaner times, the colder times, the times of deep trial and tribulation that we are bound to have, sooner or later, in this walk we call life.
It reminded me of a book by Chuck Swindoll my husband blessed me with many years ago, Come Before Winter. I highly recommend it and although I haven't read all of Swindoll's works, his writings have helped me grow.
Come Before Winter is basically a book helping us prepare for the leaner times, the colder times, the times of deep trial and tribulation that we are bound to have, sooner or later, in this walk we call life.
It seems that some we know endure deeper and more trying times than others but I think when we get below the surface, we find that most people have endured hard times.
Swindoll likens our Christian walk to the four seasons of spring, summer, fall, winter. In his book, he is showing us how and advising us to prepare for winter. He wants us to be prepared for winter before it happens--have the coal ready, the wood stacked high, the grain in the silos, the hay bales in the loft--in other words, he advises us to be feeding our faith during the months of bounty so that when the cold winds come, our walls of faith will stand tall, sheltering us from the adverse effects of the ice, snow, and winter winds.
The haunting beauty of Swindoll's words in the introduction alone make it a book worth reading.
..........."its stars like platinum-headed nails driven into the vault of heavens...its lacy icicles, its stunning landscapes of white on white. But ...... But there is something strangely solitary about winter. Altogether unlike the other three seasons, winter pleads for companionship. Its naked trees seems terribly forlorn and barren. Its harsh blizzards that push even the strongest of fowl south drive us inside our own world. No other season in life's annual cycle better represents reality as we attempt to live out what we claim to believe. Just as a calendar cannot skip those bone-chilling months, we cannot escape the barren days! Prisoners in our own dungeons of discouragement, loneliness, and spiritual impotence, we struggle to keep our equilibrium....to make sense out of such apparent insanity.
.............and then at long last, winter's end. The promise returns......new hope, reshaped values, deeper commitment. A patch of blue breaks through my dungeon window. The snow begins to melt."
The Bible tells us that we are not to fear nor dread and this post is not meant to be a downer. In fact, I'm in the process of memorizing Psalm 112 at the present time and one of the main reasons is because of its assurances concerning "fearing no bad news."
For many Christians, especially women I think, we are seized from time to time with dread or fear of the "what-ifs." I am sorry to say that too often I have let these times have too much control over me and my thought processes. I want to always remain positive and upbeat because I think this is the way a Christian should live and I want to reflect glory back to my Lord. Positive and upbeat only because of what Jesus has already accomplished!
When we let Him fill us daily with His laws, His precepts, His ordinances, His promises, His meditations, His praises, His love, His faith, --we become a beautiful bouquet of hope, perseverance, gentleness, and love to a world longing for one more bloom--
For many Christians, especially women I think, we are seized from time to time with dread or fear of the "what-ifs." I am sorry to say that too often I have let these times have too much control over me and my thought processes. I want to always remain positive and upbeat because I think this is the way a Christian should live and I want to reflect glory back to my Lord. Positive and upbeat only because of what Jesus has already accomplished!
When we let Him fill us daily with His laws, His precepts, His ordinances, His promises, His meditations, His praises, His love, His faith, --we become a beautiful bouquet of hope, perseverance, gentleness, and love to a world longing for one more bloom--
2010-The Year of Longings
He longs to shelter us from the storms of life.
I long to hide beneath the shelter of His wings.
