5 lessons i'm learning in winter

As I described earlier in my blog post on winter, I have felt myself going to through a dry season in my relationship with God, where I don't feel like spending time with Him, and when I do, I don't feel like I'm learning anything.

I know I can't be the only one walking through this season, so here are some lessons that I'm learning in the midst of it. These are the thoughts that I have as I persevere:

1. God understands the place I am in, and He does not condemn me for it. He is, in fact, comforting me as He tests me, and it is for my own good. 

2. I'm learning how to not base my faith on my emotion. This is something I've learned so many times before, but now, on a deeper level.  I'm learning to press on even when I don't feel like it.  Because I'm not always going to "feel" like doing things that are good for me, and spending time with Jesus is no different. 

3. I'm still in this season because I have to learn something that God could not teach me in any other way.  During the winter, God is sharpening us and working on us, but we can't see it until the spring.  

4. As I said before, I can't be the only one walking through a winter season in my faith.  All Christians go through season like this one. I'm not abnormal for not feeling motivated to spend time with God.  It doesn't mean that we're bad Christians because we feel distant.  Being honest about this season with others makes me realize that I'm not alone in it.  

5. This season will surely pass. Winter will not last forever. Spring will come. And surely, it is on its way.  "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." - Isaiah 43:19. 

What is something you've learned after coming out of a dry, wintery season? What is something you wish you had known while you were walking through it?