I have lived in Canada for fifty years, and I still don't enjoy winter. It seems like a waste of time to me because I don't like going outside. I find snow not just dangerous but boring. There it is, every day for months — dismal and dirty most of the time, causing innumerable problems. Gone are the bright colours of summer. I try to keep busy indoors to make time pass, but Seasonal Affectation Disorder (SAD) proves that we require light to improve our mood.

During last winter's first snowfall, I tripped on a hidden step and wrenched my hip. It ached for several weeks, sometimes causing muscle spasms. I worried that that might happen during an aqua-fit class, but because of bad weather, I missed some classes.

When I had the flu, I did not recover quickly. I led a four-week Bible study instead of twelve weeks. I missed talking to a close friend who passed away last fall. I missed hearing from a friend in England who has a condition that prevents her now from writing or typing. I missed our pastor who just retired. And we had more snow in April. It was a long winter.

I started new plants indoors. Robins return when the ground temperature reaches 2 degrees Celsius and worms come to the surface. Forsythia blooms when the air temperature reaches 12 degrees. That is the sign "when ground can be worked", as it says on seed packets, and that was the moment that I was longing for.

The first of May dawned with brilliant warm sunshine. After months of inactivity, I bounced up and down the stairs of our two-level house, transporting my seedlings outside. Then, my foot missed a stair, I crashed down — and fractured my ankle.

Frustrated, with a cast on my leg for seven weeks, I asked what God was trying to teach me. Then I remembered another time when in turmoil I heard a Voice clearly speak: Be still ("…and know that I am God" – Psalm 46:10a).

God is in control. Trusting God, the apostle Paul "learned the secret of being content in any and every situation" (Philippians 4:12b NIV). James, the brother of Jesus, tells us to "consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds" (James 1:2 NIV).

Psalm 66:10 – For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. (NIV)

Romans 8:28a – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. (NIV)

Summer has come and gone. Winter is on its way again. Working in my garden no longer seems so important. There is more to life than continually striving. Why grow roses if we don't take time to smell them?

For everything there is a season. Whatever "winter" looks like for us, it is a time to be still and trust God.

Prayer: Father, You know what is best for us, and You are in control. Help us to rest in Your arms and bask in Your light when life doesn't work out the way that we expect. Amen.

The third fledgling was unable to keep up with the others, so I knew that something was wrong. I kept an eye on him, waiting and hoping that his mother would return to take charge. Unfortunately, she never came. I wanted to help, but it was too late; he died shortly thereafter. For days, I cried, wondering if there was something that I could have done.

Then, I remembered Jesus' comforting words:

Matthew 10:29 – Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. (NIV 2011)

He assures us that God cares for every bird, including all the baby birds that never had a chance to fly. Not one is forgotten by our heavenly Father. Other versions indicate that not one falls to the ground apart from His knowledge, consent, or permission. What an awesome thought to ponder!

Therefore, if we believe that the Lord tenderly cares for fallen wild birds, how much more does He care for us?

Matthew 10:30-31 – And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (NIV 2011)

Thus, let us observe God's glory and wisdom in nature, in particular, the birds of heaven. Find them in the Bible. Encounter them in your backyard. Discover the many ways that they speak to you.

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, as the birds of the sky make their homes, chirping loudly in the trees with their songs of praise, may we remember that You know each and every one of them. May we see Your glory and wisdom, even in the short life of a young fledgling. May we take it to heart, receive instruction, and rejoice in the wonders of all Your creation. In Jesus' precious and mighty name, we pray. Amen.

Metamorphosis is an amazing process whereby a worm is transformed into a beautiful butterfly. Worms don't impress me. They crawl around, they're often slimy to the touch, and they can't leave whatever they happen to be attached to at the moment unless they are falling through the air. But a butterfly? They're different. Marked by a variety of dazzling colours, they flit through the air doing what butterflies do: supporting the pollination process, and amazing people in general — particularly those who study them.

According to God's Word, I'm like a butterfly, but it's possible for me to behave like a worm.

Colossians 3:1-3 – Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. (NLT)

Suppose I'm a slave. I'll look like a slave and act like a slave because I am a slave. But imagine that my master brings me in one day and says, "You're not going to be a slave any longer. I'm going to make you my son." Immediately, my position changes. I'm a slave no longer. I can dress better, and I should act differently. Menial tasks would disappear. My self-esteem should rise, and now, I'll have the respect of others.

Such is what God has done. He's taken a slave with a master named "sin" and made me a son. Since my identity has changed, so should my behaviour, because identity affects behaviour. If I still consider myself a sinner, I'll live a defeated life, thinking that I have no power over my old master. But when I realize that the resurrection power of Christ lives in me, I'll adopt the self-analysis that the Bible assigns me: saint. Changed thinking results in altered behaviour. I can't live the Christian life in my own power, but I can with Christ in me.

Are you living like a worm when you should be flying freely like a butterfly?

Prayer: Merciful Lord, enable us to accept our identity in You so that we can effectively live out our character. Amen.

After a couple of days, we heard that the lake level had gone down sufficiently that the road was open again, so we returned to the lake. On the way, we were detoured around a flooded street in one of the towns. Unfortunately, the detour led onto a highway that we didn't want to follow. Gradually, our GPS adjusted to the change in direction, and led us over a different bridge and across unfamiliar territory on slow, winding, back-country roads. At one point we were suspicious that we might simply be travelling parallel to the route that we should be taking, but really, we had no idea where we were, and we were reduced to trusting the GPS and following its instructions implicitly. Otherwise we would have become hopelessly lost.

It was at that point that my mind drew a parallel to the challenge of finding our way through life, attempting to make the right choices, and often feeling like we've made the wrong decisions. In such situations, we need to practice trusting God's guidance, knowing that He sees the end from the beginning and that He's quite capable of giving us the directions that we need for living. In daily prayer, even moment-by-moment prayer, we can submit our queries to Him, and then trust Him to lead our thinking and decision-making in the right direction. Often, little aphorisms that people give us can help, like "If in doubt, don't." The principles of Scripture can also help us to make right choices. For example:

2 Corinthians 6:14a – Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. (NKJV)

Romans 13:8a – Owe no one anything except to love one another. (NKJV)

Colossians 3:23 – And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. (NKJV)

The important thing is to submit both our requests and our wills to God. In other words, when we ask for His guidance, we must also pledge ourselves to follow it when we receive it; otherwise, we will go astray.

Prayer: Lord God, we thank You that we can depend on You to guide us. Help us to learn how to trust You implicitly as we surrender our self-will to follow You only. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

This trip was some adventure for my children. First off, they'd never been west. Secondly, they would meet more family. Thirdly, they would travel in a motor home! Even though it was a thirty-two footer, we were packed in! Children being what they are, they were really squirrelly by the time we arrived at the home of my uncle and aunt.

As we drove up, Uncle Ez came out the front door followed by Aunt Esther. He was still a strapping man in his mid-seventies, but Aunt Esther was so frail, a zephyr could blow her away. As we piled out onto their lawn, she greeted each one with hugs and kisses. She recognized us right away, calling me by name and saying how good it was to see us. When she saw my daughter, who was knee-high to a grasshopper, my aunt immediately gave her a kiss on the forehead. She exclaimed, "My goodness, Cassandra, you've not changed a bit!"

Then looking back and forth to each of us, she got the most puzzled look on her face. Gently, I said, "Aunt Esther, I'm Cassandra, and this is my daughter."

She countered, "Goodness gracious me, why, she's the spitting image of you!"

It was our first clue that something was not quite right. Later she offered to make us some iced tea. Leaving us in the living room, she went to the kitchen, but was soon back. She blurted, "Gracious! When did you folks get here?"

That was when my uncle told us she had Alzheimer's. That wasting disease had claimed much of her mind, but grace left her God's Word. It was the last thing to go. When the adults had a discussion about bad things happening, Aunt Esther contributed by reciting, letter perfect, the entire eighth chapter of Romans. Then she said, "No matter how my mind fails me, God never does. I may forget, but He always remembers."

God never forgets those He loves. The prophet Isaiah put it well when he penned, "Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me." (Isaiah 49:15-16 NRSV)

As we remember — or forget — isn't it a comfort to know that God remembers? We can be assured that God will never forget us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, it is good to draw comfort from knowing Your memory never fails You. No matter what, we rest within the palms of Your hands. Enable us always to draw comfort from knowing that we will never be forgotten by You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

There is demolition going on just a few streets away from my view of the Cotswold countryside where I work. Workers are pulling down an office block. It is being ripped apart by a huge machine with an enormous set of pincers, which has a long arm that is eight stories high.

They have broken some windows to tip out the innards from several upper stories to the ground below. The building now shows the evidence where the pincers have been at work nibbling away — like a piranha for concrete.

I find these products of past human endeavours to be a reminder of the words from Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a statue of mixed composition and its destruction had weighed heavily on his mind. Daniel, by divine revelation, foretold a time of destruction of the kingdoms of this world and their power by the founding of an eternal kingdom that filled the world.

I believe that it was only after the crucifixion of Christ that any human being came to understand fully the contextual implications of what had been foretold centuries before by this divine revelation.

Before Christ, it would have been seen in the context of the restoration of the kingdom of Israel, and God living with His chosen people. Today, the revelation has become evident to God's people — those who accept Jesus' lordship.

Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection destroyed the control of the opposition — the devil — and his hold on this world's systems of power. Jesus is the Rock that has grown to fill the whole world today, if sometimes unrecognised. Although absolute, the message and the victory have yet to progress through to their timeline's completion! We await the terminus. Cheek-by-jowl, we live in this age but also in the one to come. Although our present dwellings are temporary, God's kingdom dwellings are eternal.

Prayer: Lord, we rejoice that You are the Rock that has crushed the power of this age. We respectfully ask You to stay close to us today, to enable us to perceive more of You in our lives and in our living. Shine Your light onto our paths and guard our footsteps today. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

From the journal of a "seeker and searcher" in my congregation:

"Ken also said that maybe God is searching for me more than I am searching for God.

"Yes!

"I needed to be reminded of that! God knows where this will lead. I do not. God knows what he wants. I do not. God has called me. I have whimpered. God has opened my heart to receive. I am 'slowly' receiving. God gave me a restless spirit so that I may rest in Him. God gave me courage, strength and faith to come this far. How can I possibly shut him out…?"

Hers is indeed the road of the seeker and her search reminds me of a timeless truth expressed in that famous book, The Road Less Travelled:

We do not come to grace; grace comes to us. Try as we might to obtain grace, it may yet elude us. We may seek it not, yet it will find us. Consciously we may avidly desire the spiritual life but then discover all manner of stumbling blocks in our way. Or we may have seemingly little taste for the spiritual life and yet find ourselves vigorously called to it in spite of ourselves. While on the one level we do choose whether or not to heed the call of grace, on another it seems clear that God is the one who does the choosing.

Prayer: Searcher of the soul and Seeker of all, we are drawn to You, to your grace and goodness, to your love and life, to your Son our Saviour, to the hope and, indeed, the expectation of meeting you in the midst of life. We seek life in all its fullness through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.