Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary: Thaw
Can you feel the chill in the air? Beauty has a way of drawing what is true and good to the forefront of our minds and letting us experience it anew. This painting does that for me—especially the truths and goodness of winter. The crisp air on my cheeks, the cold wetness of the snow, the whistle of the wind, the rustling of the trees. The immersive nature of landscape paintings is incredibly special, transporting us to a specific moment, time, and place. Even if you’ve never lived through a true winter with snowstorms and below-zero temperatures, you can look at this and understand. There is a transcendence to art and beauty that unites us all and speaks to a deeper human experience.
The experience of winter—though true, good and beautiful—can also feel incredibly long. The quiet solitude can become overwhelming, the frigid air can make us cold within ourselves, and our slowing down can slip into staleness. At the peak of the season, the stir-crazy feeling of being stuck inside is almost too much. It becomes easy to overlook or forget the beauty and necessity of winter.
In our busy world, we often don’t know how to slow down, sit, and pay attention. Is this not why we need winter? Is this not what the season is for? We need it to help us settle in and look deeply within ourselves. It is a time when nature rests and prepares for what comes next—a time to reflect on what has been and to digest the immensity of our lives. In a world that is always changing, winter offers a rare sense of peace and slowness. The stream in this painting slows but never stops, even when frozen over. The movement of our own lives will not stop either, but we must allow it to slow. It is in that slowing that we can connect with Our Lord and recognize His work within us.
The title of this painting speaks to the fruit of winter: the thaw. The still air heightens our awareness that even our breath is a gift from the Lord. The coldness of the snow reminds us of the warmth God continually brings to our lives. The wind becomes the Holy Spirit moving across the earth. The rustling of the trees fills the silence of our loneliness and solitude. The thawing river reminds us that life has never stopped—and that its movement always has purpose. Even the frozen ground becomes a reminder of the firmness of the Lord’s place in our lives and His reign in our hearts. The thaw will always follow the frozen winter.
The Lord desires this season to be a time for you to slow down and rest in Him. He brings this chill so that you have space to reflect, to notice, and to allow Him to take hold of your life. Let Him reign in your heart, and thank Him for the good works He has done for you. If we allow ourselves to be still and quiet, we may notice our great God who lavishes us with great gifts. Then, when the season begins to change and the frozenness thaws, we can welcome the warmth and the movement ahead. We can let God thaw our hearts and draw us back into the journey that always leads toward Him.
