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| How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 1 Corinthians 15:36 |
Brrr,
even the thought of winter sends shivers down the spine. The idea of warmth being driven deep into an
abyss, buried beneath mounds of snow, chilled air, and brisk windchill factors,
gives images of grey barrenness and mortality. Even those who live in cold climates speak of
the joy of the sun shining on a cold winter day. Why? Because it is innate to long for the warmth
and hope inherent in the sunshine. As we
close our eyes and lift our faces towards the sun, momentarily, the chilliness surrounding
us abates. We sense renewed promises, restored
confidence, and refreshment in our hearts against winter as the sun warms our
skin. We remember that this is only a
season, a temporary state of existence. The
reality of life hides elsewhere. While
we are enduring barrenness, things are happening subconsciously to produce
within us a deeper faith, a stronger resolve, and a new harvest of growth.
Indeed,
the barrenness of winter destroys the pestilence of summer while the deep snows
water the spring seeds of the next crop. Without winter, devoid of a season of death
and decay, we would seldom realize our soul's new growth. Even the warmest climates have seasons of
forced shedding and barrenness necessary for the fresh leaves to burst forth. Cheryl Marlene of Akashic Mystic feels that
the winter is essential for future blossoming. She writes, "the winter of the soul is
not about transformation. The winter of
the soul is a process of transmutation—an important distinction. Transformation is a shift in the structure. In contrast, transmutation is a shift in the
essence. When you experience
transmutation, you're shifting the very essence of who you are. The winter of the soul prepares you for that
very, very, very powerful deep motion that most people will resist because it's
not usually pleasant. The transmutation
of the winter of the soul requires that you let go of control, of expectation,
of outdated truth." 2
HouseFires,
an American worship band from Atlanta, Georgia, sings of a wilderness, a
barrenness rife with confusion and despair that drives the singer to declare
that God is still beautiful. Even amid
brokenness, his eyes search the skies, and through pain, he still confesses
that God is always good.
Is
He?
Have
you ever asked yourself if you genuinely believe that, or is it just the right
thing to say? Have you felt like your
river has actually run dry, that your well is indeed empty, and that you are sipping
mud to quench your thirst? Have you
endured, or are you surviving a winter of your soul? Are you clinging to hope, frozen on dried
branches and draped in icicles? Did you
scatter your seeds on hard, fallow ground and watch as they were eaten or
trampled by life's vultures and heavy footprints? Are you in the process of mutation or
transformation?
Butterflies
do both.
They
are birthed in a state of vulnerability, while their existence depends on
crawling for sustenance and shelter. Then, understanding the season, they risk
everything to cocoon and bury themselves for the harshness of winter. They cocoon in crawling transformation and
emerge in a beautiful transmutation – free to go wherever the sunshine leads
them!
I
invite you to ponder and journal about your present state in the middle of this
winter season. Who are you? Where are you going? Are you just enduring, and if so, for what? Where are your seeds buried in the ground,
scattered on top of the snow, or perhaps clutched in your trembling hands? I often wonder what is happening inside that
cocoon. But only two things are aware of
that – the caterpillar and God. I
remember a childhood song that says, "only God can count the apples in a
single seed; only He knows just how many there will be." Like the seeds within you, like the wintering
of your cocoon, God is preparing something far greater than we can ask or
imagine.
But
like the apple seed and the caterpillar, we must be present with Him in our
current state, prepared to be buried and wintered so that something solid and beautiful
will emerge.
"
Very truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains only a single seed. But if it
dies, it produces many seeds." John 12:243
Let's
do the work!
Moreh
References:
1.
https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/15-36.htm
2.
https://www.cherylmarlene.com/winter-of-the-soul/
3.
https://biblehub.com/john/12-24.htm
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