Are You Winterized?
Philippians 4:11-13
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Growing up in New England, I took for granted that we would go through cold weather. When I was little I thought it was normal to wear several layers of clothing and be bundled up so much you could hardly move. I shoveled snow in the driveway, scraped ice off car windshields, and slipped and skidded my way through the snow, slush, ice, and cold. Wintertime was a normal part of life. When winter comes it is a time of dark, dreary days with blasts of cold winds. We knew we had to winterize our cars, our homes, and our wardrobes before the icy cold came upon us.
In our spiritual lives, we go though winters as well, and we have to winterize our spiritual lives to prepare ourselves to face these cold times. Those winter times in our lives can bring dark times and cold winds to our lives. Our spiritual winters can leave us discouraged, lonely, and depressed. There are some things that can make the cold of our spiritual winters harder.
The Blast of Cold Air
When we are going through trials and hardships, we sometimes tend to let our guard down and it's easier for influences from the world around us to blow through our lives and cool our spiritual fervor. It seeps through the cracks in our spiritual lives much like the winter air seeps into our homes around the doors and windows.
We've got to dig out the caulk and weather stripping and block those cracks and holes. Using God's Word is the best way to do this. If we have it in our hearts, it can help stop the cold air of the world from blowing into our lives. The Word of God is the best weather stripping you can apply to your life.
The Icicles of a Cold Attitude
During the winter it is easy to develop a cold attitude. And it doesn't take much for some of us. Here come the dark, dreary days with the cold and the chill and we form icicle attitudes. We become cranky and out of sorts with our family and anyone who we come in contact with. We also tend to complain more about anyone and anything.
When we are in the midst of an icicle attitude, we don't have much fellowship with anyone so there isn’t anyone to help encourage us through our trials. We don’t let anyone get close to us. It's not easy to re-adjust our attitude during a winter because the weight of that ice is bearing down on our hearts. We need to remember Who God is and let the warmth of His love melt those icicles in our attitude.
The Blizzards of Circumstances
Winter can bring so many things along with it, and blizzards are perhaps the worst. When blizzards blow over us, they can leave us feeling devastated and overwhelmed. Circumstances in our lives can also be devastating and overwhelm us. Bills mount up. Family members get sick or even die. Relationships get sour, and many other circumstances weigh down on us until we can't go on because we can't see the road before us. During these times we need to dig ourselves out of the mountain of problems with prayer. Prayer is the best tool we have to dig our way out of the drifts of care that pile up on top of us and weigh us down.
The Frost of Depression
Better bundle up because if you are going through a trial, depression is going to come nipping at your heels like a bad frost. Just as the cold weather of winter leave a frosty layer of ice on everything, trials seem to leave a frosty layer of depression on our lives. The problem is that when we are in the midst of the winter it is so easy to just let it build up on us. There's no easy way out of depression and you will be afflicted by it at times, but keeping our lives centered on Christ and worshiping Him doing regular personal devotions and prayer times each day will help thaw out a frost-covered heart. Worshiping Christ is the one sure way of warming your spirit and melting the frost of depression.
Remember the simple rule: when you feel cold, get closer to the flame. So bundle up your hearts, and remember that winter only lasts for a season. You will feel the warmth of the Son again soon.
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