Monday, January 3, 2011

Winter all year long...

If you remember from the Chronicles of Narnia there is a point in the story where winter lasts all year long, but Christmas never comes. Tonight our Bishop taught an amazing principle that struck me, he said, "Winter may seem like it will never give, but spring and summer always come." 
I absolutely loved that. 
I know lots of people who hate the winter, I personally love it and love cold and then getting warm, but I digress. The point is that winter is usually associated with the world dying and going dormant. Bishop pointed out that we may have times in our lives that feel like that, but I began to think about what really happens during those months. Those are the months where you get to use everything that you have gained all throughout the rest of the year. What good are skills that we never need?
Why would God teach us and train us only to say okay that's a wrap before we ever begin?
The winters of our lives are the times that we take what we became in the spring and summer and make it worth something. We show that we are not going to just lay down and die without a fight. We show God that His time and effort on us was not wasted. Anyone can grow and flourish in the spring and summer of life. Anyone can produce fruit when it is easy to bear.
But those who can grow when others will die, those that can bear fruit when others say that it is impossible. Those are the people that lead the kingdom of God. In villages in Africa, were people thought that the gospel would never grow they lead the kingdom of God. In homes around the world people who fight and will to live when others die lead the kingdom of God. So the question comes, "Will you die and go dormant in the winters of your life?" Will you do what most other people do? 

Or will you lead the kingdom of God? I know that the more I see the more I need to do to flourish and grow, especially in the winters of my life. That is when we can grow and prepare for the things that are yet to be.

1 comment: