When winter arrives, I find myself slowing down. It’s harder to get out of bed in the morning, and I feel less motivated to do things. I always feel better if I take a walk to wake my brain up, and go to the local cafe to work on my writing, but it’s also a time where I crave rest and lazy days at home. Getting the balance right isn’t always easy.
I know I’m not the only one who feels like this. According to Scientific American, 40% of people will have some SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) symptoms, such as mood changes and low energy, and 5% will meet the clinical criteria for diagnosis.
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Looking at my pets, (two cats and a dog!) I see that, for them, winter is naturally a season for spending time curled up resting, but for humans in a fallen world, life is not always so simple.
Whenever I’m having a hard time with something, I know that the Bible will have an answer, and I love to meditate and memorize verses to really instill the message in my brain. One morning, when I was struggling to brace the cold and get out of bed, I wondered what Bible verses could help me lift my spirits, and embrace this natural change in the seasons.
Here are eight Bible verses I found with reflections to help us get through the winter.
1. Light is sweet and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. — Ecclesiastes 11:7
Recently I was researching for an article about the importance of natural light for our sleep and well-being. Early morning light sets our body clock to help us fall asleep easily at night. God-given sunlight lifts our spirits, but even a cloudy day has enough natural light to get us going. It’s a good reason to get up for an early morning walk and beat the lethargy.
2. You fixed all the limits of the earth; summer and winter you made. — Psalm 74:17
Summer and winter have been there since the beginning. While coping with the cold can be challenging, reading this verse reminds me it’s all part of God’s ordered design. It makes me think that perhaps winter isn’t something to fight against. MaybeI can embrace the rest and slower pace just as my pets do. I’ll go to bed earlier on those nights I feel exhausted, and have some guilt-free lie-ins from time to time. I’ll leave plenty of space on my calendar for evenings curled up by the fire, reading and dreaming of summer.
3. All the days of the earth,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
Summer and winter,
and day and night
shall not cease. — Genesis 8.22
Sometimes winter can seem so slow, as if we are stuck in the dark and cold, and will never get out! This verse reminds us that we are in a cycle of constant change. As I read it, summer memories flood my mind, and I’m reminded this won’t last forever.
4. Thus he makes the snow like wool, and spreads the frost like ash; He disperses hail like crumbs. Who can withstand his cold? Yet when again he issues his command, it melts them; he raises his winds and the waters flow.— Psalm 147:16-18
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On frosty mornings when my body is slow and doesn’t want to move, I feel powerless, like I just want to curl up and do nothing. It’s so different from those summer days when I felt all-powerful, filled with energy to socialize, travel and live.
Yet, getting up and going for a walk, can help remind me of God. Though he may seem distant in our winter struggles, this verse reveals his presence in the weather. As I read these words I feel inspired to go for a walk in the frost, and see him everywhere.
5. She is not concerned for her household when it snows— all her charges are doubly clothed.— Proverbs 31.21
Sometimes Proverbs 31 can be intimidating because it recounts the actions of a woman who seems practically perfect and is often held up as an example of how a good Christian woman should be. I was relieved to learn that some Bible scholars believe she is multiple women, not one superwoman! Nevertheless, her organizational skills are an inspiration for how to handle winter. It’s a reminder to bring in some more firewood and buy warm woolen clothes for my family. I’m not the most organized person naturally, but God has helped me a lot in that department! If all else fails, I will just pray.
6. Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, or you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.— James 1:2-4
In God’s kingdom, our trials are something we should rejoice in. I often forget this in my desire for a comfortable life. When the gloom of winter sets in, these words help me align with God’s perspective on it all, that he is cultivating patience in me. With his help, it’s easier to get through to spring!
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7. At dusk weeping comes for the night; but at dawn there is rejoicing.— Psalm 30.6.
Have you ever noticed how having a good cry can clear your mind, so you can release the sadness and feel better? Crying is a gift from God, a way to express ourselves so we can lighten the load of heavy emotions. I love how these words remind me that if I do fall into sadness this winter, then joy will follow soon after.
8. The rains are over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the turtledove is heard in our land.— Song of Solomon 2:11-12
I smile as I read this verse. Soon the first snowdrop plants will be pushing their way up through the ground. One thing winter is good for is teaching me gratitude for spring.
