Gray Days

God spreads snow like wool...who can endure the freezing cold? Then God gives the command and it begins to melt. He breathes on winter - suddenly it is spring

Psalm 147:16, 18

Gray days. Subzero temperatures. Wind-chills. Snowstorms. And polar vortex’s. I think even the heartiest of winter enthusiasts are beginning to pine for brighter days when temperatures climb back up above zero for good.

This is the time of year when winter grows wearisome for us Mid-westerners. Oh yes! We have ice fishing and skating, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and the Winter Carnival to keep us occupied, but, whew...it sure is hard to keep spirits up when we have to dress like Eskimo’s just to go to the grocery store. It is February, after all. Shouldn't we be seeing some sign of winter releasing its icy grip?  

It's on gray days like these where a good memory comes in handy. 

As I look out the window at my garden, now buried under three feet of snow, I think back to last year's long hard spring and the joy I felt when I discovered the first tiny crocus bud begining to push its way up through the melting snow. 

I remember the day I trudged out in ankle-deep snow to take pictures of the first flowers opening on my Forsythia's branches.

And the day the buds on my Maple tree began to split open to release a fresh crop of leaves as temperatures continued to warm.

And the day that rain fell from the heavens, instead of snow, and the buds on my Crabapple tree began to swell.

Yes! When winter seems like it will never end...I remember. I remember that no matter how many snow-filled, bitterly cold, gray days may lie ahead of me, spring is coming. One day when I least expect it, God will breathe on winter and suddenly signs of spring will begin to appear. That's a promise we can count on! 

He makes all things beautiful in its time...

Ecclesiastes 3:1

*If you are under winter's icy grip of trouble and heartache, my friend, remember God's little love gifts from the past. Remember that one day when you least expect it, God will breathe on these cold, gray days that seem unending and suddently little signs of spring will begin to appear in your life. 

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