winter's welcome

wow. it's been a month since my last post. and boy, how have things changed since then! november was a lovely month--full of warm weather and beautiful fall colors (at least for the first part of the month!). then, december came. it's entrance was gentle and graceful at first...then it really showed itself as the true tyrant it is. snow, ice, and wind chills of -15! so, needless to say, i've busted out the down coat, scarves, snow boots, and gloves. i've surprised myself at how much i have taken it all in stride. you would think a TN girl who hasn't seen a real temperature of one degree in years would be having an extremely diffiult time with this! i'm not a huge fan of the cold and would much rather spend the greater part of my year in the summer months. however, i knew to expect a harsh winter and tried my best to prepare myself for what was around the corner. (but ask me how i feel in february or march when i'm so sick of seeing snow!)

all this to say, i have been through a huge learning process during this move--and still am going through it. every aspect of my life has been touched by this transition--from small things like the weather and getting used to hearing midwesterners talk, to big things like making friends, finding a church, and learning a new job. i feel like i personally resonate with the changing of seasons. how can i not? my season in life has just changed. i went from a very comfortable summer or fall--rich with the blessings of friends, family, and a place in life i truly enjoyed. then, the winter saunters in--a subtle transition at first, only to throw her harshness upon me as time went on...new location, new job, new people, and the struggle to make them all my own.

one observation i have made about winter is that it brings out an accute awareness in people. leaving your house requires preparation--starting your car early, making sure you have on all of your warm gear, etc. then, the walk to your car requires that you be on guard, watching out for patches of ice or a faulty step here or there. and the drive to work doesn't get any easier--your senses are always intensified, ready to respond to a slick spot in the road or a driver who can't stop because of the ice. you are aware of all that it takes to get from point A to point B.

i think this happens in the "winters" of our lives as well. it's funny how many things we take for granted in the summer and fall. for example, we never think about the process it takes to drive our car down the road--why would we? yet, when the winter comes, we recognize how many factors are involved and how much effort is expended when the weather is difficult. everything takes soooo much longer! and, so it has been with my life recently. there were things that God has brought to the surface during this winter season that i never would have realized or recognized during the summers and falls of my life. it's only because things are difficult am i aware. just like i would never have been aware of all the process we go through to get from point A to point B during good weather. it's only the inclement weather that brings this to my attention.

in a similar fashion, God has used this transition to catch my attention. He is bringing awareness to areas of my life that He wants to change. i have come to recognize things within myself that were deep down--lying dormant during times of comfort and ease. it has only been through the "inclement weather" that they have surfaced. although this process is painful and frustrating at times, i am so grateful that God is working on me. and i am certain that the Holy Spirit will continue to do so (...funny how we are never left alone!) and i know this winter, just like the other seasons, is temporary. one day, i will look back on it from the beauty of spring and will be extremely grateful for this process. and i am already grateful because i know that God is pruning me--forming, shaping, and molding me so that i may be conformed to His likeness and bear more fruit to His glory.

i am amazed at the patience of God towards His children. He doesn't give up on us...and He'll even use things like the Chicago winter to get our attention!

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:1-4