The darkness has been gathering. This year I've been working outside everyday and I've noticed more than ever changes in season. Over the past few months, nature has been preparing. As the days have grown darker and the nights colder, plants have dropped their seeds and braced for impending danger. The smells of spring, summer and fall are replaced by a strange emptiness. The voices that filled the forest are now silent. As the cold deepens the motivation to simply curl up and sleep is hard to resist.
In the gathering dark, there is a temptation to despair. The unknown is at the doorstep, and much of nature runs away towards the promise of warmth. Nature has entered survival mode and the hustle and bustle of spring and summer has gone to the fringes of memory. The motivation to be productive, to build, to clean, to produce which came so easily earlier in the year is now gone. Getting out of bed is more of a challenge than ever. Two cups of coffee are needed instead of one. Loneliness, depression, anxiety, self-consciousness are at their height. Where is hope now, when even the birds have ceased to sing?
In the face of winter's icy grasp comes the fulfillment of a prophecy as old as time. Beginning today, just weeks before the year's darkest day (December 21st) is a month long party celebrating the Light of Life, the Prince of Peace, the God who is with us. So we have hope in the midst of uncertainty. We have a reason to rejoice in the midst of real problems. And I end today's post with that encouragement.
Comment with a topic or theme relevant to Advent and I'll find time to write about it. It's a glorious time of year to be alive in New England. The contrast of the cold outside with the warmth inside people's hearts both growing at the same time is beautiful to behold.
Pax Vobiscum,