On the Winter River

This morning I looked out my window here. I saw a very frozen river and so I wrote this poem for you.

On the Winter River

On the winter river
In cold and clear December,
The wind doth blow the ice and snow.
In her peculiar patterns they go
Across a crystal cover of glaze;
They race along their frozen maze.

On the winter river
In cold and clear December,
The tree doth wave her stately boughs.
‘Spring will come,’ she firmly vows;
But for now must rule the winter frost
Upon whose back the sun’s heat is lost.

On the winter river
in cold and clear December,
The scarf that hides my frigid face
Reminds me of a warmer place:
Lights and fire, blankets and socks,
Hot spicy drinks, and long winter talks.

Glimpses of Something Better

You probably know the feeling I described in this poem. That internal longing for relief from the cold, for a chance to warm up by the fire.

In our discomfort, in our pain, we long for something better, this longing is part of the human experience.

Ultimately we long to return to paradise!

Just as on a cold winter’s day you long for the warmth of a fire and the company of friends, so in the pain of life you long for a cure.

The Apostle Paul tells us that we all groan to be set free from the futility of this world. God has set the idea of heaven in our hearts.

Rom 8:18-23

18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.
19  For the creation is eagerly awaiting the revelation of God’s children,
20  because the creation has become subject to futility, though not by anything it did. The one who subjected it did so in the certainty
21  that the creation itself would also be set free from corrupting bondage in order to share the glorious freedom of God’s children.
22  For we know that all the rest of creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time.
23  However, not only the creation, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit also groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

There is relief from the coldness of life, found in Jesus Christ, the only one who can truly warm your heart and give you new life!