One of the realities of living in Canada is the dramatic changes in temperature throughout the year. The harshest of those seasons is winter, which occurs for at least 4 months of the year. For some Canadians winter is a hard truth they have to put up with until spring comes. For other Canadians, it is an ingrained part of their way of life. Either way, winter is a part of being Canadian and in many ways it defines us as a country. As a Canadian, I have had to come to terms with living in winter over my almost 22 years of life.
As a kid, winter was a fun but cold time. It was the time when I could build snowmen, go toboganning, and eat hot chocolate. During my grade school years winter was the one season where I was pretty much guaranteed unexpected days off from school due to snow or freezing rain. During my high school years the negative views of the cold and living in a country with winter began to rub off and me and I saw winter as an evil that I could not escape every year. Now that I am a young adult, and a Christian, my opinions of winter have changed. I would prefer a winter without the cold, but I do see why God created different parts of the world to have 4 seasons.
First, my understanding of Genesis 1 is that the seasons are a part of God's original creation. I believe that the 4 season- spring, summer, fall, and winter- occurring in both hemispheres at opposite times of the year were created on day 2 of creation week in Genesis 1:14-15 when "God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate
the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and
days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.”" On that day God made the earth rotate on its axis, which tilts toward and away from the sun, as it orbitted the sun. When the northern or southern hemisphere is tilted farther away from the sun, it is going through winter. Not only was winter a part of God's original design, it was also designed for good.
How is winter good? Well, winter in Canada gives nature, and people, a time of rest. During the winter the animals and plants don't really do anything- plants don't make their seeds and reproduce, the trees shed their leaves and don't actively produce food or seeds, most animals hibrenate or fly south and don't reproduce during those times, and the animals that stay mostly scavenge for food and keep to themselves. The same can be said for people- Besides working in the barns to keep their livestock alive, farmers can't do much in the winter because they can't grow and harvest crops. I think that God originally designed winter to be a season of rest from the majority work, so that they can re-cooperate for the warm seasons to come in the following year.
Another good thing about winter is that it allows us to do fun things that can't be done in the summer. For example, we can't go skiing or snow boarding in the summer. We don't play hockey, which is big Canada, during the summer nor do we usually cook roasts or make hot drinks like hot chocolate in the summer. Finally we don't get to see the beauty of the snow or icicles on the trees after a snow fall. This form of beauty is only available to those who have winter, and it is only appreciated by those who have winter. It is also what makes Christmas in Canada different from Christmas elsewhere, because we can't imagine a snowless Christmas unless they travel to Florida or the tropics every single year. Without winte there would be no Saturday nights with Hockey Night in Canada, Sunday with curling or figure skating; and there would be no Winterlude in Ottawa in February and Ottawa wouldn't have the longest skating rink in the world, and and there would be no Winter Olympics to cheer on and celebrate Canadian athletes. The list could go on and on.
During the dull period in the winter I think it is important to focus on the positive aspects of winter and how Canada would not be Canada without it. Some of us say they've spent Christmas south of the border and enjoyed it without the snow and the cold just fine, and I'm sure that is true. However, the only reason Canadians can truly say that and appreciate the warm weather and the beauty of spring, summer, and fall is because they have winter. Without winter and the cold weather, the warm weather is just a part of the normal routine and would just blow over our heads. The people in the warm countries cannot really appreciate the warm weather they have like we do because they do not know what it's like for the warm weather to be absent 4+ months of the year.
Winter is a part of what it means to be Canadian. As a Canadian, I have grown to adapt to the changing of seasons and nature's extremes. As a Christian, I have come to appreciate how the seasons point towards a Creator who is so beautiful, wonderful, powerful, and good. Futhermore, I have come to see that winter is not all bad. Yes, there are days in January where I wish that I could walk outside without putting on a huge coat and thick boots or enjoy the snow without the cold; however, that doesn't mean I would rather be anywhere else but in Canada.
My call to fellow Canadians is to focus on the postive aspects of living in an area of the world with 4 seasons. Each of these seasons has their own unique beauty and characteristics. These seasons give Canada a beauty that is both magnificent and changing, and are part of what makes Canada Canada and defines us as Canadians.
