The winter doldrums are hard to take. The cold, snow, harsh wind and ice seem to freeze our spirits. We hide in our homes, hoping the furnace keeps running. We get frightened by the bitter temperatures and the slippery roads. We wonder when it will all end. The world seems bleak and pale, cast in black and white, the black of deicing chemicals and road grime, the white of snow and ice. It is easy to get down in the dumps in such a bland environment.
Baxter weathers winter well though. He seems no different in this season from the warmer and more colorful times of the year. His routine of eating, sleeping and window watching goes on uninterrupted. He may sleep over the heat register more often, but otherwise, he is content with the time of the year in which he finds himself. Baxter doesn’t complain about the weather. He just lives with it. In fact, Baxter doesn’t complain about much at all. Only three desires make him whiny: hunger, drinking from the spigot, and an occasional exploration into the garage. He is easy to please, and so he is a happy cat.
What about us? Can we find peace and contentment with what life brings our way, or are we always looking for something more, something better, bigger, prettier or more convenient? This restless drive for more can throw our lives off balance. We spend so much time and energy on looking ahead to the next improved thing, that we miss the value and beauty of what we have now. We work so hard to get ahead that we fail to appreciate the blessings of the present time and condition. We measure success by external gauges—the size of our pay check, home or car, our titles at work or our awards on the playing field—and we miss the measure of our character. What kind of a person am I? Kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, honesty, generosity and integrity are gems that sparkle in any season of life. They may not always make the climate calm and comfortable for everyone, but they will make it safe for the human spirit to survive. Without this spirit, God cannot be seen in our midst no matter how many pious words or practices we use.
Winter is God’s gift to us, not necessarily to like, but to use to take stock of who we have become. The long nights inside call us to think about where our lives are going and with whom we are making the journey. Are we and they people of character living by what we believe God has shown us about life in Jesus? Are we happy with ourselves no matter the moral climate around us? Are we right with our own hearts so that our imperfections and those of others are not causes for chronic distemper, but reasons to give thanks for God’s boundless love, patience and forgiveness? The winter outside isn’t our real threat. The winter inside our hearts is. Only God’s grace can warm them enough to change our ways.
Winter makes little difference in Baxter’s life. Mostly, it changes the scene outside the window. May we learn to adapt this way to the wintry world of selfishness, evil and sin, so that when they need it, others will find in us a warm place filled with God’s love.
