Deep winter in the Northland reveals many breathtaking scenes, and the colder it gets, the more beauty pops out. On a freezing evening in mid-January, the colors saturate blue, and the windblown snow sculpted drifts become visible. It is hard to believe that the daylight hours will be noticeably longer in just a few weeks, and the thought of Springtime begins to tease our minds. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater. Isaiah 55:10 Thank you, Lord, for your creation to point to You and provision to enjoy and live in winter. hope, provision, help grace
Sea smoke envelopes the sunrise and lighthouses in Canal Park. The intense cold of a passing "Polar Vortex" generated sea smoke to envelope the mid-January dawn. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 While Mid-January is deep winter, the fact is that daylight hours are getting longer, the average temperatures are now rising, and the cold snaps will soon be shorter. Nature declares that hope is rising for better days ahead, just as God promises hope in Him by using His creation to prove it.
Icicles hang from a bench along the Duluth Lakewalk with seemingly no sign of Spring. The fact is that it has been more than a month since the Winter Solstice, and we have gained 20 minutes of additional daylight. Small changes in time go unnoticed in our busy lives, but time moves on by minute, days, months, and years, sometimes without notice. Take a minute today to reflect on our blessings and thank God for each minute. So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
