Winter

Sue’s Views
It’s officially winter! The trees have shed their leaves ….. the sun goes down by 5 ….. and heaters are firing up! In nature ….. today is the beginning of its most productive season. New life is starting to surge through those naked branches. The beauty of spring doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes months of preparation and chemical changes ….. but they all take place within and are unseen. It’s the same with us! Our most productive seasons become evident after a ‘winter’ experience. Those sleepless nights of anguish ….. those prayers that seem to hit the ceiling ….. those hopes that appear to have been dashed ….. those disappointments ….. are developing strength and character in you that could come no other way. 
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4