#2 Admit it's cold

I know this sounds pathetically obvious. You may even be glancing at this post, rolling your eyes thinking “seriously? I already know it’s cold! Come on!” But hear me out: sometimes we don’t admit to the problem we have. We might be able to say the words, but we don’t really acknowledge it. We don’t recognize the toll that it’s taking on us. We just ignore it and act like everything’s fine. 

But it’s not. 

Winter tenses up our muscles. The cold hastens our steps, or stops them altogether. The longer nights and shorter days drain us of energy, making us far less excited about doing anything at all. The struggle is real. The battle is real. And the sooner we can admit that a battle is being fought, the sooner we can take the right actions to have victory. 

But that first step is nothing more than admitting that something’s going on. That things aren’t normal, aren’t alright. Things aren’t going to be the exact same as they were before, or how they ought to be. That breakup is going to make you a little more emotional. Not having that job anymore will cause you stress. Whether it’s right or wrong, that’s the way things are, and that’s how they’re going to be for a little bit. 

And you know what? That’s alright! The pain may not be fun, but no one goes through life without some scars, scratches and bruises. And while it can be tempting to throw in an adage about growing from suffering, those can sometimes be backwards too. Yeah, if we made some mistakes to put us in the mess that we’re in, it may be wise to reflect and see what we can do better. But sometimes we get too fixed on going down that path in hopes of making the pain go away. Sometimes the answer might just be that things just happened. 

Think about the holidays. Is it your fault that life feels dull as the Christmas season comes to an end? Maybe it’s your family’s fault. They did invite you over, after all. No, that’s a bunch of nonsense. Can you see how immediately assuming how someone must be responsible for the pain can make a big mess? What if we decided not to assume anyone was the problem? What if we took the stance that it simply happened. Marbles fell from the sky at random and clunked us on the head. Nothing to learn here. Carry on!

And from there, we can start to plan our reaction to what has happened. But we do so without the stress of struggling through the idea that someone’s to blame, and that the way out is through correcting that mistake. We can accept that this is simply a season that might be a little less pleasant out there than it might be otherwise. But with this acknowledgement comes a flicker of hope: even the longest of winters eventually comes to an end. You might go through a weird “cold again, warm again” season like we do here in Colorado, but eventually summer will come back around. And when it does, you will be your wonderful, happy self once more. No one can tell you exactly when that day will come, but it will. Of that, you can be certain.

So take some time to acknowledge the season you’re in. Don’t try to fight it, just recognize where you are. See all the things your mind naturally does with this realization and start to see yourself as the person living through the storm you’re in. 

I pray that the God of all wisdom guides you through your rough patches, droughts and storms. That He carries you through and that You can see His hand there waiting for you to grab ahold of as the cold starts to overwhelm you. I pray that His comfort finds you and that you embrace its warming glory. 

Until Next Time

May Peace be your Guide.