Many celebrate the Winter Solstice as a time of quietness, reflection, and peace. I am one who looks at this day, as the turning point; a celebration that today is the shortest day of daylight! Tomorrow we reverse and begin to get longer days! Yes, I love daylight!
My favorite season of Road Trippin’ with daylight began December 22nd, with just a minute or two more, this is true until about mid-January when all at once, we notice it stays lighter a bit longer; until spring when we realize, it is light in the evening and in summer, the light, here in Boise in late July will last until past 10 PM due to the time change!
Let’s slow down today, taking a minute today, and reflect on the change that occurs at the Winter Solstice. As you reflect, what comes to mind? Were we too busy in the season of preparation for Christmas, that we forgot to stop and give reason or purpose to the season?
Winter brings with it a time of slowing down. Back in the days before electricity, the seasons were a rhythmical part of life. In the winter people would stop work when the darkness came; they would sleep a bit longer, allowing the sun to wake them, and their lives, in general, slowed down.
Have you given time to reflect on why the season of winter is more of a shadow of death; the trees have shed their leaves, the flowers have been trimmed to the ground, many animals hibernate and we tend to move inside to enjoy the comfort of our home and warm soups and portions of pasta a bit more, known as comfort foods. Now we have 2020 to reflect back on to get the full meaning of moving into our homes 🙂
With that aside, I think you know where I am going…Winter is a time of comfort, reflection, and rest in preparation for the coming spring; a time of growth. Without a time of rest, we cannot and will not grow strong when the spring comes.
Winter includes our celebration of a new year beginning. With a New Year, we look excitedly to the days ahead, many purchasing our new calendars, opening a new page in our business planners. We set goals for our spring celebrations; i.e., graduations, weddings, summer vacations, and fall harvest as we plan our vegetable gardens.
Yes, winter has a purpose in our Road Trippin’ through the Seasons.
Today I ask you:
“What are you most looking forward to in 2021?”
“Why?”
“Do you have a plan of action?”
“How will you celebrate your achievement?”
Ladies, if the above questions stump you, your winter will be long; your spring will not have the energy or spark it is designed to bring to your life.
May I offer you a few words from John C. Maxwell, a motivational speaker, and life coach (Today’s reading from the Maxwell Daily Reader):
The Voices of Vision
The Inner Voice: Vision begins within
The Unhappy Voice: Noticing what isn’t working
The Successful Voice: No one accomplishes great things alone
The Higher Voice: A valuable vision must have God in it
Ladies, I invite you to join our journey this year of Renewing our Minds to the Mind of Christ. Our focus this year will be learning to live in the vision of Paul as he writes in Romans 12:1-2 “… in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
Through our social media, blogs, and podcasts, we will be exploring what it means to renew our minds, being transformed into His good, pleasing and perfect will. In our weekly Bible studies, we will walk with God’s Word, chronologically, beginning with Genesis, following the path God has shown us through the ages of the poets and prophets, leading to the coming of His Son, Jesus, and then learning from the Gospel writers, Paul, and others, until we walk through the end of our time with Revelation. We will begin in January 2021, without an end date. We will take our time on our journey, we will connect, pray through the winters in our lives, and celebrate in the summers of joy and friendship. We will grow together in the spring, and harvest our rewards in the fall. We invite you to join us!
Your invitation is an open door, waiting for you to respond. You may come on our journey, opening as many doors as you choose. Click below and the door will open 🙂
Bible Study: Sign Up for Bible Study (ZOOM option available)
Prayer: Pray the Circle
Personal and Group Coaching: Transformation Workshops
Thank you for joining us on our Road Trip this month as we enter the season of Winter, a time of comfort, reflection, planning with the goal of moving forward in this New Year, with a renewal of our mind and a transformed life!
Enjoy the pictures of the season!
May you enjoy peace and rest this winter season,
Katy
Katy Nelson, CPLC, ACC, GMC
Road Trippin’ Through the Seasons