Why winter?

It's the middle of January, and we're not quite into the middle of winter yet. But the temperatures have been in the single digits recently (it's currently 1 degree outside where I live), and we woke up to a beautiful blanket of about two inches or so of snow.  This week in school we've made fake snow and did snow themed art. When my students arrive today after an hour delay, we'll be writing about snow days and reading/reciting poems about a white wonderland. I've got the fireplace going with calm jazz music in the background. I've got my cup of coffee sitting beside me, and all that's missing is a comfy chair, a blanket, and a good book to curl up with and read. 

These temps have had me thinking about the season of winter lately and why God added snow and freezing temperatures into the cycle of seasons He created. It's really cold, uncomfortable, requires a whole different wardrobe, it gets dark so early in the evening, and our activities are severely limited at times. 

Winter seems to be a lot of work (especially when you want to heat your home naturally with a wood stove constantly full of firewood and a hot fire inside.) It takes longer to get dressed if you need to go outside for anything. Any activity requires much more effort than in other seasons of the year. It's harder to go out for a walk and breathe in the nature all around me when my nose and fingers need to thaw out after just a few minutes outside. 

But could it be that God's original design for winter was not to add extra work but extra rest? Could it be that we're supposed to take advantage of the longer days of sunlight and warmer temps to do the extra work in the spring and summer so we're prepared to stay inside during the winter? Could it be that we're supposed to give way to the "lack of life" (loss of leaves) and to strip ourselves bare of all the extra activity (like the bare trees and flowerless fields) and let our minds, bodies, and souls recover from the busy months, trusting that a new, fresh season full of life and vitality will follow this one in due time?

Like a Sabbath day meant for rest and reconnection/trust in God's provision, perhaps the cold winter months are God's original design for our rest, recovery, and trust in Him for all that's yet to come. 

I think finding a good book sounds like the perfect investment of time for the weekend ahead.