In the Winter Months of Faith

We sit in the living, each one on a device. I’m writing on my laptop. My sister’s talking on the phone. My cousin’s on an iPad, and her husband’s on his phone. There’s a mattress on the floor and blankets and sleeping bags strewn about. Snow falls outside.

Home is only a few hours away, but it doesn’t ever snow there. Winter doesn’t feel very winter-y. Here, it’s winter wonderland. At least it was this morning when the novelty of snow was fresh. Now we’re cold and hungry. In a little while, we’ll venture out again, but for now, we’re taking refuge in the house.

Faith in the winter months is a lot like this living room in this moment. We have bursts of wonder, awe, and excitement when we peer out the window and see snow falling, but mostly we’re taking refuge from the cold. There’s a mess around us we don’t care to clean up. We’re all doing our own thing.

It’s easy to lose sight and sense of community as we burrow underneath the pillows and blankets, blocking everything out to focus on our own needs. It’s easy, then, to feel alone in the winter months. To feel lonely, isolated, and snowed-in with no way out.

Thankfully, all we need to do is look up. Looking up from my laptop, I can see my family lounging by the fire. Mom’s cooking in the kitchen. My other cousins are arriving from their morning sledding adventure. We’re all hunkering down for hot soup, hot chocolate, and fried fish (it’s a Filipino thing).

We all have winter months when it comes to faith. These are the times when faith is hard. These are the moments when we really work out our salvation. These are the seasons when we simply lower our head to get things done and take care of what we need while other things fall to the wayside.

In these winter months of faith, we’re not alone. We’re not isolated. We haven’t lost our community. Look up and see that there are people in the same living room as you, hunkering down in their winter months of faith, gathering around for some hot soup and hot chocolate (fried fish optional). They’re there. Everyone’s doing their own thing, but nobody is alone.

Contrary to popular belief, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s not a bad thing to do your own thing. It’s not a bad thing to keep your head low and get things done. It’s not a bad thing to let other things fall to the wayside as you do your best to take care of yourself. It’s not a bad thing to put your faith before other people.

There’s a Christian acronym for JOY: Jesus, Others, Yourself. It’s a noble idea, but one that will help you fall on your own sword. The second greatest commandment is two-fold. It is to love others as you love yourself. If you don’t love yourself, it’s impossible to truly love others. How can you give what you don’t have? How can you help the sick if you yourself are sick? How can you bring joy to others if you have no joy yourself?

When we go through winter months of faith, it’s important to put your faith above all else. Your relationship with God matters most, and in winter, when faith-living is rough and tough, it’s okay to hunker down and do what you have to do to persevere through the season.

When I go through winter months of faith, especially as an introvert, I am easily overwhelmed by all the church events and activities I need to attend and participate in. Nobody ever gave me the permission to hole up somewhere and take care of myself before I take care of anybody else.

That’s why I’m giving you that permission. Because I have gone to the bathroom in the middle of worship to swallow Ibuprofen because the music was too loud. Because I’ve walked away from prayer meetings more burdened than when I walked in. Because I’ve chosen to stay in my pajamas instead of meeting up with people I love.

It’s not a bad thing. It’s actually a good thing to take care of your faith first. It’s a good thing to say no to some things in order to say yes to better things. It’s a good thing to persevere through winter seasons.

[bctt tweet=”It’s a good thing to take care of your faith first.”]

Extroverts renew their energy by being around people, so to my extroverted friends, I say this. When you go through winter months of faith and what you crave most is being around other believers, don’t be afraid to reach out to your faith community. Don’t ever feel like you’re being too needy or clingy or a burden to other people’s schedules. Don’t fear rejection.

If community will help you persevere through the winter, but it seems like everyone is doing their own thing, remember that you’re still a community. Nobody is alone. Reach out. Open up. Share some hot soup and hot chocolate. We’re all in the same living room, and that means we can help each other through the cold.

I’m linking up with Coffee for Your Heart today.