In Spokane, the winter strips the leaves from our deciduous trees. I notice without the garment of green, the trees appear gnarled and exposed. I think of this image as a metaphor for difficulty. When the green vibrancy is stripped from us, we are left with the exposed, barren branches.    

Barrenness places us in a place of exposure. 

I consider times I have experienced barrenness as a parent, spouse, creative, worker, and friend. The seasonality of all aspects of life requires us to face times that are unfruitful, silent, and often a time of waiting.  

Waiting is a type of difficulty. This creative tension in the waiting time between where I am and where I want to be can easily move to frustration if I am not mindful. I can become impatient in the waiting season. My grandmother would remind me that a watched pot takes so much longer to boil.  

And so, it is with all desolate times. The winter without the sparkle of snow and frost stretches longer than winters of shimmering beauty. Sometimes it feels as if the times of suffering will endure forever.  

What season of life are you in? How does wintering expose what may be hidden by color and movement? What barrenness are you enduring as you pray for the miracle of new life?  

Let’s join together in prayer during this time of wintering.  

Look at these two gorgeous passages in both the Old and New Testament.  

“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord. – Isaiah 54:1  

For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.” – Galatians 4:27  

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