On a Winter's Day

by Ruth Ann Dell

It's winter! Crisp sunny winter days on the South African Highveld. Chilly winter evenings snuggled up in a warm bed with a purring cat, hot drink, and a good book. I love this time of the year.

 The brown grasslands have a beauty of their own, lit with aloe flower flames which will still glow even if veld fires char the grass around them to black.

An Aloe in Full Flame

The trees have lost their leaves and branch into dynamic sculptures against a vivid blue backdrop with ever-changing cloud formations.

Tree Sculpture

Winter reveals secrets which are hidden at other times of the year. In the nursery school playground, much to the delight of the children, the trees sport colorful decorations as balls, kites and other toys thrown up and caught in the branches in the summer months, become visible as they are no longer hidden by the leaves. Brooms and ladders are used to return them to the eager children who had given them up for lost.

Birds, like this magnificent young Verreaux Eagle in the nearby Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve, and other wild animals, are also easy to see in winter when they are not hidden by the vegetation.

Young Verreux Eagle. Photo Credit-Amy Berry

And in my garden, the oak tree reveals her secret to me—a sparrow's nest, invisible in summer, but easy to spot now.

I'm at a scary winter-time in my life with a possible move from this land, which I love, to another country. A move which involves so many questions and unknowns. A move which will require big sacrifices. But as I look at the nest, home and dwelling place to a family of birds, a Bible verse springs to mind:
"Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations."  Psalm 90:1 (NIV)

I realize that whether I stay here or go, it is the Lord who is my dwelling place. The words of Psalm 139 assure me that the Lord is everywhere, and 
"If I rise of the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast."
(NIV Psalm 139:9&10)

What a wonderful winter revelation! 

Nest in My Oak Tree

I would love to hear how God has spoken to you through His creation this winter—or summer if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. Please leave a comment to tell me.