By Sarah Barber, Perimeter School Mom

I am so thankful to live in a part of the world that has four distinct seasons. While some seem to last longer than others, I try to be mindful of each season’s unique gifts. God is so creative! We could not have one season without the one that came before or the one that comes after. Each plant and animal has a specific purpose or role to help push one season on to the next. As mankind, we just get to sit back and watch the show.

WINter prepares our hearts

I always thought that spring was my favorite season. The visual reminders of new life, the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord, the milder temperatures, the low humidity, baseball, and three birthdays to celebrate in our house have made springtime a busy and fun season for our family. While winter brings holidays, family time, travel, and more time together inside, it can also be dull, cold, quiet, and downright depressing.

As I get older, I find myself reevaluating and studying all the creativeness that God used when He created winter. I am starting to think He intended for us to use wintertime to be still and quiet and to prepare our hearts for not only the birth of His Son, but for the spring.

Maybe winter is a time for us to be like His creation and die to the things of this world to make room for new life in the springtime that is coming.

THE BEAUTY Of the amaryllis

I love Christy Nockels’ song, “Amaryllis.” Do you know about this unique and beautiful plant? It literally needs the cold of winter to push up and bloom. It typically blooms a brilliant red, but it can bloom in other colors. It is a strong plant, a big bulb, a sweet surprise in the bleakness of winter.

It seems that God sent Jesus like the amaryllis. He came in a time where there had been years of silence. That silence had hardened the hearts of the people like soil in the winter. God chose to send His Son to broken and fragile people, and just like those broken and fragile people, we get the gift of the amaryllis right in the middle of winter. Because He came and pushed through, we have that same new, resurrected life in us now.

You might find yourself in a winter of your own, waiting and longing for something. Because He came and because of His life in us, you can be an amaryllis, too.

I want to encourage you to take time this winter to discover the longings of your hearts and the calling that God has placed on you. Winter is only a season, and we cannot stop the spring from coming. Get yourself a beautiful amaryllis to be a visual reminder of how God pushed through in the most unlikely of circumstances.

While I love the spring, I know now that I can receive new life right in the middle of the winter.

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, no sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ Also, He said, “Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:4-5