What are some words that come to mind when you think about winter? (pause)

When he was living in Chicago, minister and writer John Ortberg asked this question and answered it himself:  ice, hypothermia, wind chill, snow, shoveling snow, salt trucks, black ice, dead batteries, stuck cars, diminished mental capacity, recreational eating.

Obviously this sad description is why so many people head south for the coldest months of the year. Our physical bodies crave sunlight and freedom and warmth. And–though we might not be conscious of it–our souls do too.

If your heart feels heavy right now, know that, as Ortberg says, “You might go somewhere else to avoid winter weather, but there is no place on this earth you can go to escape winter of the soul.  It is essentially a season of loss—when you’ve lost something, when something has died in your life and you  know it may never return.  But nothing new has arisen yet to take its place, and you’re not sure that anything ever will…”

If your soul is in winter right now, I am well aware that a joy shot won’t take away the pain, and it won’t answer your questions about why–but there is comfort right now, and a different way of framing this difficult season.

Listen in to find some help with that…

Notes: Melancolie (this is the correct spelling) sculpture (photo)