Faithful Through the Winter

One fall I had a profusely blooming bed of pansies in front of my house, their bright "faces" giving me great pleasure. Pansies are a hardy little flower; those planted in the fall bloom awhile, rest through the winter, and burst into bloom again in the spring. That year we had an unusually mild winter. I kept waiting and waiting to cover the bed with the usual quilt of brown leaves upon which a snowy coverlet would then be laid, keeping everyone cozy through the long cold season. Since the bitter weather we always expect in Kansas did not arrive, I ended up not covering the pansy bed at all.

Through most of the winter months, the pansy plants stayed green, and a couple of them never did cease their fall blooming. Those pansies brave enough to keep blooming bowed their heads in the chilling winds and frosty nights, but by afternoon, they raised them again to the warmth and light of the sun, giving me the unexpected pleasure of flowers beside my door all through the winter.

Most of the pansies followed the normal pattern of being still alive, but dormant throughout the winter. Those few who persisted in blooming were far ahead of the others when spring days came and it was actually time to put forth blossoms again. While the others were stirring themselves to put on buds, the brave winter-hardy souls had an abundance of large blooms. I took special delight in seeing that those who had weathered the winter were far ahead of those who had taken the winter off!

Faithfulness. That’s what pansies speak to me about. We are tempted sometimes not to wait out the tough times; we think about pulling back to avoid any risk in that personal relationship or that cause in which we are interested or that opportunity coming our way.

May God help us just to hold steady through the hard times, through the winter when nothing seems to be happening, through the cold season when there seems to be every reason to pull back and check whether it's worthwhile to invest our time, energy, and resources. Remember, no season lasts forever! If we are faithful through the winter, when spring comes again, our lives are strong and steady, ready once more to be productive and beautiful!

MaryMartha
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Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com