Winter of Discontent

When the mercury conquers triple digits more than forty times in the summer, it is only natural to crave the cooler temperatures of winter, forgetting how bone-chillingly uncomfortable it can be. A crippling ice storm can quickly make just about anyone long for the return of the melting sun. We find ourselves in the calendar’s extreme seasons suffering from palpable discontent, but God’s promise to Noah’s generation holds steady: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22 ESV). I’m reminded of an old piece of wisdom regarding morally neutral, unchangeable things: Learn to love it. Six months from now, we will again be longing for these cooler months, just as much as our runny noses and cabin fever are now inspiring perverse nostalgia for the Texas summer. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV). Winter affords us more quiet times for meditation, more opportunities for lingering over the Bible or snuggled under the blankets in prayer. Take advantage of the unique benefits of earth’s coolest season and learn to love it.