The purposes of a winter-waiting season

Matthew Fretwell May 2, 2018

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“Always winter, never Christmas. It’s been a long winter. But, oh, you would have loved Narnia in Spring!” Those were the words from Mr. Tumnus to Lucy Pevensie in C.S. Lewis’ masterpiece, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. 

Lewis was a literary genius, especially in relation to symbolism and the depth of expressing the Christian faith. The more I focus on Mr. Tumnus’ statement, the more I realize the necessity of winter—but not without Christmas.

Lewis was articulating an aspect of chilling lostness—living in a place where there’s no redemption, no Redeemer, no vitality of life. Sometimes, our faith may seem like Narnia’s winter.

Cocooning

Cocooning is a modern term for isolationism. Taken from the principles of the natural process of how a caterpillar develops into a beautiful butterfly. Unfortunately, modern cocooning denotes the building of suburban gated communities.

The modern cultural term is not a good attribute for society. However, applying the principles of natural cocooning to our spiritual life may be good for our mental, physical and fruitful state.

Let me explain. There are seasons in my life when I feel bogged down, depressed or even in a mental fog. I may feel as if God is not answering my prayers or I’m in some holding pattern. The peculiar part is that I’m an extrovert and in these seasons all I want to do is cocoon.

Because these seasons have been repetitive in my life, I’ve managed to step back and evaluate the big picture. Am I burned out? No, that’s not it—my schedule seems normal.

Am I doing anything different? No, my devotion, prayer and reading patterns haven’t changed. So, what’s happening?

A good freeze

A gardener understands that a good freeze in the winter time can prevent some insect gestations and also promote soil stabilization. I know that mild winters tend to mean more mosquitos in the spring and summer.

Winter seasons can relate to our spiritual vitality. In John 15, Jesus explained times of “pruning” for believers (John 15:2). Assuredly, no one enjoys pruning. Jesus expressed that the same laws we see in nature apply to the spiritual. To be fruitful means there must be times of cutting back.

I call the “cutting back”—freeze time. Freezing doesn’t mean dying. On the contrary, as stated, the natural applies to the spiritual. The frost layer during a cold winter may be thick. However, soil microbes can be active during the winter months. Grass and other perennial plants can have roots deeper than the frost layer—and we should, too.  

Times of preparedness

While I won’t say that I enjoy the “winter freeze times,” I utilize these times as spiritual formation periods. I know that I’m horrible at Sabbath-taking. It has always been one of my downfalls. I am a self-motivated and overachieving person. I have come to a gut-check realization—a very convicting one—I feel guilty about having downtime. 

I admitted to myself and others that I felt shame and guilt when I wasn’t productive, even for one day. I had to learn how to take a Sabbath. The freeze times were divinely designed for me to step back and cocoon. I needed quiet time. I needed “freezing.” And that was hard (no pun intended).

I expected (and still expect) to be fruitful all the time. However, in the reality of spiritual formation, there must be winter. We need times of “Sabbathing” (winter) to bring about times of fruitfulness (spring). 

Winter is necessary to manifest the beauty of spring—renewal and rejuvenation. Likewise, the Christian life needs pruning back—which happens during times of spiritual winter, despair and spiritual warfare. These remind us of the importance of grace, redemption and a broken world. 

The winter seasons of life prepare us for the growing season. Our times of cocooning will bring about a butterfly-type spiritual formation. So, don’t neglect the winter seasons of life as unfruitful. Think of them as times of preparedness. Winter is necessary.

Photo source: istock 

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Dr. Matthew Fretwell is a church missiologist, professor, trainer, author, and practitioner. He currently serves on faculty at the Regent University School of Divinity as an Assistant Professor of Practical Theology. He's written ten books and peer-reviewed papers, with a recent three-volume book series entitled, Multiply Jesus (Church Planting, Church revitalization, and Missionary Preparedness). Learn More »

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