Seasonal depression turned to strength
Published 11:45 am Tuesday, January 21, 2025
The Pastor’s Pen
By Steven Temple
There are two groups of people, those that like winter and those that don’t. I usually fall into the latter category. I am the type of person that loves the outdoors, hiking, boating, fishing, camping, and all the other activities that you can think about when it pertains to warm weather. When winter begins to creep in, many times, heaviness begins to grasp ahold of me. Less exposure to the sun and less time being able to spend outside takes a toll on a lot of people. Cramped up indoors for the majority of 2 or 3 months is not my idea of a good time.
Over the last couple of years, however, I have been able to “survive” winter a little better than prior years. With the help of my wife, I have stayed engaged with nature, especially when we are fortunate enough to have a snowfall. Every time the snow falls we venture to the mountains to take some sort of hike to explore. The snow brings in a calmness, a quietness, which is good for the rest our bodies crave. It is said that snow dampens the sounds. All of life seems to come to a halt or a slow down when the snow falls. People are not out as much, schools are cancelled, and the busyness of the town dissipates.
I have learned that during this wintertime to decompress, to take a break, to step back from the hustle and bustle of life and enjoy the slower tempo. It took some time, but I have found my groove in the process. Our bodies need this time to slow down, to rest, and in doing so, we regain our strength for the days ahead. We can see this happen in nature as well. The trees lose their leaves and rest for the spring ahead, the animals slow down and some hibernate, as well as the plants resting in order to press forward to bloom in the spring.
This time is also good for the spirit. Isaiah 41 says let the people renew their strength. Let us come to the Lord and renew our strength. We have been fighting battle after battle all year round. We have fought against trials, hurts, and many times we find ourselves in a place of weariness. We are tired. We are worn. Now is the time for us to renew our strength.
Just as boxers in between rounds, sit down, take a drink, get instruction, then go back out to fight again, we too, need to take a break between the rounds of life, sit down, take a drink of the everlasting water, garner the instruction that we need to come out swinging once again in the battles of life. We must take the time to regain our strength from time to time if we want to be successful in the warfare in which we are engaged. We cannot run on empty and expect to be at our best. We need the time to regain our strength.
I say to you, dear reader, if you have been like me and are hit hard with the seasonal depression that comes with the coldness of wintertime, then, see this time as a blessing instead. Take this time to refocus your attention on the things that will repair, prepare, and prolong you during this fight. Don’t allow this life to dictate how you respond, how worn you feel, but rather take a hold of this period of your life to regain the strength that you will need to spring when time comes. Let us reason together to turn seasonal depression into strength.
Rev. Steven Temple is the Pastor of The Church on the Hill in Rose Hill, VA and welcomes you to come visit. Services times are as follows: Sunday morning Bible Study at 10am, Sunday service at 11am, and Wednesday evenings at 7pm. The church is located at 681 Highpoint Road, Rose Hill, VA.