I do not do well with winter. As the days grow short, cold, and overcast and as the temperatures plummet below freezing, my mood and energy tend to darken and plummet as well.

Maybe it has to do with where I grew up. I come from a part of California where the average high winter temperature is above 50 degrees. To this day I could go to my hometown and mention “the day that it snowed,” and everyone would remember a specific January day over 20 years ago. It could be that, despite living in the Northwest for over ten years now, I am just not “used to it”.

Maybe it is just a chemical imbalance, a lack of Vitamin D. Perhaps we can chalk it up to a case of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Some light therapy and vitamin supplements might be all that I need.

Or maybe it is all just a matter of perspective. Perhaps I am focusing too much on the negatives of this time of year and need to “look at the bright side”. I can celebrate what is good and special about winter. Maybe I just need to build a snowman or go ice fishing.

As I consider these possible reasons for my sour disposition, I realize that each one of them is not so much a search for a “cause” so much as a search for a “solution”. It is part of our cultural mindset. If something is wrong, we need to “fix it”. If I can figure out what is wrong with me this time of year, then I can fix it with the proper tool, be that time, therapy, or winter activities.

But I am beginning to wonder if perhaps we are going about this all wrong. The problem solving mindset is great when we are talking about appliances. When the dishwasher goes out, let’s find a way to fix it. But what works for appliances does not always work for people. People are not appliances. We are not intended solely for utility and production. Our worth cannot be reduced to how well we “work”. We are more than our problems.

When we look at ourselves and others through the lens of “problem solving,” eventually all we will see are problems that need fixing. It will be like an endless game of whack-a-mole: wherever we hammer down one problem, another will pop up somewhere else.

Part of being human is learning to live with our weaknesses and problems rather than trying to solve and fix all of our weaknesses and problems.

The Apostle Paul famously refers to a “thorn” in his flesh. He is not at all specific as to what this “thorn” might have been. Whether it was a particular physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual gremlin, we do not know. But like all of us, Paul searched for a solution. He prayed for the Lord to remove it. Yet God’s answer to Paul’s prayer was not a solution. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:9a, NRSV). 

God’s grace is sufficient.

Perhaps some day I will “get over” these winter blues. But until then, I lean into God’s grace and trust grace to be sufficient.

As church leaders, we are more than our ability to be useful and produce. We are human beings with problems, but we are more than our problems. We are children of God who are loved by God, and grace is enough for us. The more we learn to rely on grace in our own lives, the more we can begin to lead and love others through the lens of grace rather than through the lens of “problem solving.” People are not problems or projects – they are certainly not our problems or projects – they are children of God who are loved by God.

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 15:5-6 (NIV) 

Grace and Peace, 

Pastor Andrew