Hello Reader,

Typically I find January to be the longest month of the year. It can feel like a month that creeps by while other months seem to fly. So I'm pleasantly surprised to process we are already half way through the month! The weather has been cold, dreary and less than sunny in comparison to other winters past in Florida. I know the majority of places in America are deeply entrenched in snow and slush as we walk through these winter months. Apparently another arctic blast may even grace Florida with snow flurries next week 🥶

In jest, I recently posted a meme on my Instagram stories about how February 1st is the real start to the year and January is just a trial run, but it is so interesting to notice how people seem to just struggle through January. I wonder if it's our culture's constant chatter about goals and resolutions during a time of year that is just cold, dreary and confines us to homes where we seek warm shelter and slow days?

There is a natural rhythm to the seasons and cycles of creation. God has given us seasons for a purpose and places within us a cycle of work and rest. It's okay if this winter season has you moving slow, hibernating more, and feeling the same dreariness internally you might be experiencing externally. Winter certainly has me moving slower than I do in the spring and summer months. I totally understand why bears sleep these months away!

While our culture may not like slow, I have found that slow growth is often the strongest growth. Slow growth tends to be consistent, maintainable, enduring. We may not see the results externally for a while, but the work is being done in the dark to produce a harvest at the right time.

I get it, there is a tension here, and I certainly feel it. I love momentum and movement, trust me I do. This Type A, high functioning, go getter girl is all about tasks, to-do lists, productivity, and producing results, however, God has been gracious enough to teach me over the past year that our worth is never held in our productivity but in the person of Jesus. God cares more about our proximity to Him than our production for Him.

So, let's use this winter season well. In these weeks and months of hibernating, cancelled plans because of weather, or slower days, let's spend time getting closer to Jesus. Let's lean in and plant deep roots in our soul over these weeks. Not rushing the growth that will come, but savoring the season of slow, and trusting the timing of the seasons.

Father, thank You for all the seasons of creation You have provided us with. Help me to listen to Your voice, to slow down when You say to, to act when You command and trust the timing You have for this year. Let my heart not get frustrated by the voices of this world, but help me use this winter season well and lean into Your presence everyday. In the name of Jesus and by the power of the Spirit I pray, amen.

In His Grace,

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Natalia Drumm is a wife, homeschooling mother to three boys, and graduate from Dallas Theological Seminary with a passion for women's ministry and sharing the Gospel. Seeking to glorify God through equipping women to study Scripture and grow in their faith, she is the creator of Girlfriends in the Word™ Bible studies for busy women. To learn more, or connect with her online you can find her on Instagram @nataliadrumm or check out her website www.nataliadrumm.com​

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