It started snowing in November. As we rounded the corner into March, the snowdrifts have not lessened and the cold has not thawed. I get sick of winter as much as the next average Canadian, but this year, the feeling of winter blues has hit me more than normal.
This is my first full winter with a baby at home. My daughter Everly was born in the middle of March last year, so by the time I was feeling a bit back to normal, it was spring time. This year, however, I am both pregnant and home with an eleven-month old. She can’t play in the snow. Believe me, we tried. One face plant in the snow was enough for both of us.
The last few weeks have boasted huge snowfalls and ice storms, much to the delight of school age children, who have had numerous snow days. But for us, the weather has kept us housebound. Everly is sick of me. I get it. The swings at the park are a lot more fun than I am, but the journey outside hardly seems worth the frostbite.
Being both pregnant and carting around an almost one-year-old has me terrified of slipping and hurting one or both of them. In the past, I was never so anxious about falling in the winter. Back then, if I fell, I could bruise a knee. No big deal. But now other people are counting on me to stay upright. No pressure. So when we would otherwise go visit a friend or stroll around the mall, I pause, weighing the cost to all of us. I am ready for spring.
For a book written entirely in the Middle East, the Bible is surprisingly full of mentions of snow. I especially like to turn to the psalms when I am tempted to despise the snow. I must remember, like the psalmist, that it too is a gift from God’s hand. Psalm 148 mentions snow specifically, as it charges all the forces of nature to praise the Lord by fulfilling their purposes: “Praise the Lord from the earth […] fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling His word!” (Psalm 148:7-8, ESV). The snowstorms that seem to plague us are merely obeying His decree, not acting outside of His purview.
It is also helpful to remember that God is in control of changing the seasons. I need not fear an eternal snowpocalypse. Here are just a few verses, describing God’s control over the changing seasons:
“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22 ESV)
“You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; You have made summer and winter.” (Psalm 74:17 ESV)
“He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.” (Psalm 104:19 ESV)
“He changes times and seasons; He removes kinds and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” (Daniel 2:21 ESV)
“He [Jesus] said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.'” (Acts 1:7 ESV)
These verses, among others, comfort and remind us that the changing from winter to spring is guaranteed. When it feels like the snow will never melt, remember that God is in charge and He is always faithful. And I too must be faithful – faithful to care for my children and put their safety above my cabin fever. Because I know spring is coming, just as He promised. And He has not failed in that promise yet.
