I love winter, the cold, the nip in the air, and the cozy sweater; they are all my favorites, and thankfully, I married a winter lover. 80% of our vacations are booked between December and March. 

Maybe it is my December birthday or personality, but winter is preferred. 

For me, winter brings on preparation, rest, and pruning of the vines to produce the most fruit. 

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” John 15 Vs. 1 – 2 NLT. 

As noted in John 15, the Lord is our gardener, and if you are a gardener avid or novice, you know winter is not a time of forgetfulness but rather a time of gentle preparation for spring—a time of new growth. 

The ground is at rest; it is not growing; it is when we can shed or prune the dead or death within us. 

Where is that for you? 

What do you need to prune? What dead weight do you hang onto, knowing it won’t produce?

Personally, it is my time, convenience, and commitments, 

I must be most diligent with my time, such a precious resource. I am working on pruning out the themes or daily activities that do not yield good fruit. 

• Too much social media and insufficient time reading cultivated words of growth or scripture.
• There were too many grab-and-go meals and not enough planning ahead. 
• Too much of saying yes to tasks or responsibilities that are not for me. 

Let me expand on the last one. Are you someone who, if you get asked to do something or are presented with the opportunity, automatically say yes because it is a good yes? 

This season, I am re-evaluating my “yes” and asking the following questions mentally, quickly, or methodically. I will meditate and pray over the request of a new or added commitment to my calendar. 

•  Does this align well with my family values and fit within our family dynamics? 
•  Do I have time for this, and can I serve the request well? 
•  Is this yes for me or someone else? Am I taking someone else’s, yes?

Just because it is a good yes doesn’t mean it is your yes. 

And lastly, rest. 

Is this hard for anyone else? 

This winter, I am scheduling rest. I tend to fill every calendar time block with a “to-do” or activity. I am retraining my brain and body that stillness is from the Lord. Blank spaces on the calendar are a gift of leisure and spontaneity because we have given ourselves the space to rest. 

Whatever your views are on winter, don’t count out the cold. It could be the reset and rest you need for a fruitful spring. 

In Joy, 

Nichole