Winter brings a period of closing in, voluntary isolation, and introspection. It’s a time to enjoy the warmth of the fire, holidays, and often, healing from a year’s journey. I enjoy winter and all the hygge (as my wife is fond of saying) that goes with it. It’s a time to take stock of how things are, and how we are doing.
Now, as spring blossoms in the Twelve Acre Woods, I am emerging from winter’s solitude with a sense of recovery. The last couple of years have been difficult for all of us, and some thoughts from winter’s reflections are worth sharing, I think. First: yes, things have been hard, and will continue to be hard. But hasn’t it always been so? Maybe not for everyone all the time, but no one gets through life unscathed. The world we are in is not the world we were meant for. It’s not what we were created for. We were meant for Eden, and in case you haven’t noticed, this world is no longer it. Nevertheless, here we are – strangers in a strange land. It’s time to get on with it. While we wait for the restoration of all things, let’s seek out the hints of things to come – the glory of a chilly sunrise, laughing on the on the porch with people you love, the smell of the woods on a walk with the Wonder Beagles. These are glimpses of Eden: ‘For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. ‘ (Romans 8:19)
Second, when we come to faith in Jesus, he lives in us. He’s not “out there” somewhere waiting for us to call him. He is in me, right now, all the time, and he wants to have an intimate, communal relationship with me. He wants me to know him deeply and to be known by him. I don’t have to be ashamed to stand before him, burdened by guilt. The sins of my past are gone, remembered no more. New things have come! I can enjoy fellowship with him here, now. (I’ve been encouraged by the Wild at Heart podcast the last several weeks in particular. John Eldredge and his guests have discussed this topic of “Jesus in me” and what it means to commune with Jesus in our inward selves.)
Winter has a stark beauty of its own and we should savor the opportunity it invites us into to reflect and heal. Spring comes to remind us that life is for the living. We have started a new flock of chicks, planted seeds in our gardens, and are planning to add a couple of goats to the Twelve Acre Woods later this year (more on these activities later). More importantly, this spring is a recovery for me – a recovery of a lost heart, weighed down by years of uncertainty and discouragement. I am again seeing hope fueled by the coming restoration of Eden and the reality of Jesus in me.