Read:

Psalm 74:17, “It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:”

Think:

Do you know that every year in rural communities they have “rock pickers” who actually pick rocks from fields. They go through the fields picking up rocks before the fields can be planted with seeds. Literally, every year farmers have to do this because rocks emerge from the soil in the frost or thaw cycle of the earth. A farmer said this is the way the land heals itself, it heals during winter. Isn’t this a beautiful way to look at winter seasons of life? We need winter seasons to heal; we need to unearth rock-like burdens stuck in the soil of our hearts.

Most people love to avoid the cold, dark and dreary winter; we prefer the hopefulness of spring, the warmth of summer and the vibrance of fall. But winter slows us down and gives us time to reflect and allow God to “pick the rocks”. We all have rocks-the unseen burdens we haul around in our hearts. Hidden stones can cut and wound, so let’s allow Jesus to heal our land during these slow winter seasons. Let’s take time for winter to do its work.

Act:

Slow down today. Give Him the wounds (the stones). Tell Him your worries, your secret fears, the hurtful words spoken over you.

Pray:

Dear God, today show me the hard places of my heart, the hurt places that I may not be aware of. Till the soil so that we can grow something beautiful.