Seeds in Soil

As we near the end of winter, I am tired! I feel this exhaustion in all areas of life: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. Winter is a dark season and colder than the other three. The weather outside affects each of us inside, especially if you already deal with mental health struggles. For me personally, this has looked like fatigue, increased anxiety, sluggishness, racing thoughts, irritability, and more. But, as hard as it is, winter is a necessary season just like the rest. 

Even seeds start their lives in darkness before they experience growth.

Being planted in the soil is just one part of a plant’s journey, just one season they have to experience. The darkest one. The loneliest one. A necessary one. If seeds aren’t planted in darkness, how will they bloom? (Read more about the importance of being planted in “Tiny Seeds”.)

My Own Dark Season

I have experienced more than one difficult season in my time on earth, as all of you have as well. In full transparency, this winter has been a dark season for me. I am in my second year of marriage, and while there has been SO MUCH good, I have also experienced emotional triggers that I thought I had worked through in the past. I have struggled with my self-worth, lies and false perceptions creeping in, leading to anxiety, fear, and more than one panic attack.

We also found out last year that our dog has diabetes which has been a huge challenge for my husband and I. It only got harder when he went blind right after Christmas. It has been months of ups and downs, sleepless nights, accidents in the house, and having to make so many adjustments. This is a dark season that I am continuing to walk through, trying to do the very things I tell others to do. 

I wanted to share a personal story, because a person’s testimony is one of the most powerful things they have been given. I almost shared a season I had already walked through and made it to the other side, because it’s less messy, prettier with the bow on top. In me sharing the dark season I am in the midst of right now, I want you to know you are not alone in your own darkness, even if it looks completely different from mine. I understand what it feels like to be tired and overwhelmed, wondering if you’ll be in this place forever.

Winter Produces Character

The season of winter (both literally and figuratively) is necessary because going through hard things makes us stronger. It helps us develop patience and perseverance. When we walk through dark seasons, we build up our character. There are many places in the Bible where it talks about this very subject, but one of the most well-known and one of my favorites is Romans 5:3-4. It says, “And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.”

Walking through winter also gives us greater appreciation for the sunny days and flowers when we do experience them. If we only ever experienced good, would we truly treasure it? Would we even recognize that it was good? When I am in a dark season of life, I find that it is easier to be grateful for the little things, things I may not even notice were it not for the dark. (Read more about gratitude in “A Lifestyle of Gratitude”.)

Don’t Waste the time

As you are waiting on spring to come, don’t waste that time. I encourage you to follow the advice in Romans 12:12, which says “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” Also, examine your life and find things you can be grateful for, even the tiniest things! Spend time with family or friends, and spend time by yourself. For more ideas of things to help you get through winter, Christian or not, read a blog post I wrote last year called “10 Ways to Fight the Winter Blues”.

We can take heart in this difficult season of winter, because we know spring is coming! Even if nothing magically changes on the first day of spring, we can trust that the change will happen. Cloudy days never last forever.

Seeds may start in soil, but they don’t stay there. It takes time for them to grow and bloom, and it takes us time, too!