The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

‭‭~Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬

Fruitful gardens take work and time to flourish. At the end of each year, when a garden yields its last fruits, the ground is cleared and given time to be still for a season. Winter gardens lie quietly with simple, emptied soil. The earth lies barren as it rests in the cool temperatures and sunshine. Sometimes, the soil gets so dry and cold that its surface hardens and even cracks. Perhaps the soil is hardened due to neglect or its cold surroundings.

But a garden’s entire identity is in its fruitfulness and provision. No one identifies a garden by its barren January landscape. It’s still a garden even then. Rest is necessary so that it can become fruitful in its next season. No one expects it to burst with tomatoes and full stalks of corn in January.

Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.

~‭‭Exodus‬ ‭34‬:‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God gave us an example in gardens to see the rotation of seasons and the necessity of reclaiming rest. Winter gardens also help us find the beauty that comes from barren seasons.

Christians can feel pushed to produce and resemble an evergreen garden. Yet, God calls us to times of rest and barrenness so we can trust Him and allow Him to bring fresh plantings into our hearts in His perfect timing and season. In the hustle and bustle of this world, we experience a push or pull in every direction that demands our production and provision. It’s easy for our identities to become wrapped up in what we do, produce, or give. However, reclaiming rest is necessary and reflects God’s example.

Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

‭‭~Psalms‬ ‭116‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If you struggle to be still when it’s time to reclaim rest, feel hardened and cracked from the cold of life, or have an ache of barrenness that leaves you feeling like a January garden, you can trust the Master Gardener with your barren places. You can rest the soil of your heart in His hands and know He will care for you when colder seasons require you to lie empty.

God will bring you to bloom again. Until then, let your soul find rest in His compassion and presence as you trust His process.

God, thank You for the example of gardens and seasons. Help me rest in You. I want to be productive and fruitful. I also want to honor you with my life, even during barren moments and required rest times. Help me to find joy in the winter moments, too. Amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2025: Winter Gardens: Kristi LaRee: All Rights Reserved