10 Ways to Fight the Winter Blues

It is the middle of February in southern Romania. Everything outside is cold, wet and muddy, aka not at all pleasant. I have not left Olt county in almost two months. It is safe to say I have a little cabin fever and I am impatiently waiting for spring to come.

However, the last couple months have actually been really good. I realized that God filled this season with a lot of small yet beautiful and joyful moments.

Here are 10 small ways I discovered to help fight the winter blues:

1. Wake up intentionally. When it is cold, dark and gray outside, you usually want to stay curled up asleep under warm blankets. But I have found that waking up early to have intentional time with the Lord helps feed my soul as well as set myself up for the rest of the day.
2. Read a book. If you’re going to be stuck inside because of the weather, you might as well pick up a book. You can let your mind be inspired with true stories and encouraging words or you can let your imagination escape into other worlds.
3. Get creative. A little color and design goes a long way in the gray of winter, especially when you can use that creativity to brighten someone else’s day. And don’t worry about it being perfect, just get creative!
4. Reach out. Remember that you are probably not the only one experiencing the winter blues. Reach out, offer to get together with a good friend or even someone new and encourage one another.
5. Pray intentionally. Prayer can be an incredibly life-giving activity, especially when shared with brothers and sisters in Christ. From a daily prayer time with my best friend to praying through scripture with the women in my ministry, prayer has been a joy these last months. (Plus the more prayers we pray, the more prayers God can answer!)
6. Make something from scratch in the kitchen. While I have never loved cooking, there is a feeling of accomplishment when you make a meal from scratch. My personal favorite is a delicious homemade soup, perfect for warming you up on a cold day.
7. Share a meal. Food always tastes better when you share it with others. I am blessed to be in a community and culture that believes in hospitality and sharing a meal together. It is a simple reminder that I am not alone.
8. Say “Yes”. If you’re like me, cold weather can lower your motivation to go out, especially if an activity was not pre-planned. However, some of my favorite moments happened from saying “yes” to the unexpected.
9. Document. Whether you use pictures or a journal or something else entirely, it is important to document the small moments that make you smile, especially in harder seasons. I use this as a form of reflection on all the ways God has provided joy in my life.
10. Be thankful. As you document and reflect, remember to thank the Lord for all He has done, even if it is just a collection of small moments. Gratitude is an easy way to shift your thinking in any season.

Home

As I sit at the airport in Romania and wait to board a plane to America, I find myself thinking a lot about the word home.  I'm going home! But I'm also leaving my home.

So what is home?

1. A safe place to be yourself.

Home is the place where you don't have to pretend. You are free to be happy, sad, frustrated, confused or sometimes just silly.

"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned." - Maya Angelou

2. A place where something flourishes.

I love this Oxford Dictionary definition. Home is a place where you grow and change. A place where you are encouraged to be your best self. A place where you flourish into something beautiful.

3. A place filled with memories.

Home is a place where time is invested and personal memories are made. I can love my visiting my sister,  or love the mountains but those places are not my home because I have never invested serious time there.

4. A place shared with loved ones.

This is the most important element of a true home. It is loved ones who make you feel safe, accept you for who you are and help you to flourish. It is with people that memories are made. It is the people our hearts are drawn to, and without people and without love a place ceases to be a home.

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As I reflect on these definitions I am grateful for the homes God has given me over the years. Some were home only for a season while others remain. But having so many homes also leaves me feeling that I am never completely at home. Romania is home but it is not my culture which leaves me longing. Iowa is home but it is not my calling which also leaves me longing.

The reality is our earthly "home" will never be as complete as we want it to be. Things change, people move, our hearts are torn between different places. But God didn't design us for an earthly home. We were designed to make our home in God's kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. Only there, only in Him can we be completely safe, completely ourselves. Only in Him can we flourish to our full potential. The best memories we can make are by following Him and His plan because He loves us more than anyone else.