Don’t Waste Your Winter
Recently, I was in a seminar where the instructor gave a lecture on how to prepare during spiritual winter. But, first things first. What is spiritual winter?
In the course of life, we go through different spiritual seasons.
- In the season of spiritual spring, you feel the excitement of things starting to come alive. A new relationship begins. You got accepted to the university of your choice. You passed the job interview.
- In the season of spiritual summer, things reach their peaks. You feel the happy vibes in all your endeavors. Your business is booming. Everything works out the way it’s supposed to be. You get the job done.
- The spiritual fall is a time of harvest. You see the fruits of your labor. Your achievements are recognized. People appreciate your work. You have reached the apex of your career. Things can’t get better than as they are now.
- And then, suddenly, spiritual winter starts. The climate gets cold. Everything freezes. Something goes wrong at the job at the worst moment. Your partner cheats on you. Your doctor wants to talk to you about your recent medical examination and, somehow, you know something is not right about the doctor’s tone of voice. Welcome to the winter season.
Spiritual seasons don’t exactly follow this spring-summer-fall-winter sequence either. You thought it was spring and then winter starts. You thought it was fall, but back to summer again! And this winter season can go on for quite a while too. Very unpredictable.
I can relate to this metaphor of spiritual seasons. Can you not?
So the question is not about how NOT to have spiritual winters in your life. All four seasons are part of life and all of them are necessary for us to grow and mature. Even the winter time is very necessary. The question is how to prepare for the winter and how to brave and withstand it.
First, we can prepare for the winter by simply being aware of the existence of spiritual winter.
Just knowing that spiritual winter exists can help you get ready for the harsh season tremendously. If you think you are in your spiritual summer or fall, know that it won’t last. As the house of Starks says, “Winter Is Coming!” Live in the moment. But, look towards the horizon. When spiritual winter comes knocking on your door, don’t hide. Welcome it with open arms. For it is just part of life.
Second, we can brave the spiritual winter when we surrender and let go of things.
Spiritual winter will claim your precious treasure. It could be your wealth, health, relationships, reputation, or career. It could give you what you don’t want and take away what you do want.
Remember that you are not entitled to anything. Your life was given to you without your consent. You were born to your family without your choosing. You didn’t choose to be born in this time of human history. So be grateful for what you have and what you were able to achieve with it. But also, when all those were taken from you, learn to let go. You can indeed let go when you realize that it’s spiritual winter. If it was God who gave you life in the first place and everything else that comes in the package, then you can trust and let go when spiritual winter comes. It’s just part of the package, called life. Learn to wait. Wait is how you brave the winter.
What do you do when you are in spiritual winter?
- Don’t run away. Don’t panic. Don’t waste your winter.
- Learn to expect it. Learn to surrender. Learn to wait.
Remember. No matter how harsh this spiritual winter may be, it too shall pass. Know that once you go through spiritual winter, you will have become more resilient, emotionally stronger, and spiritually more mature.
