From the Chaplain

Wasn’t the weather awful on Monday and like the start of Winter? The wind that goes over the water here at GSG is so strong and cold. I didn’t really need to bother brushing my hair because as soon as I got out the car it blew all over the place and into a big knot. I was so surprised to see students here walking around in short sleeves and shorts, including my son who refuses to wear long pants.

Biblically, Winter is a time for rest and waiting. In the world many things rest over winter, hibernating and waiting for the warmer months. The wood frog that lives in Alaska is an extreme hibernator and freezes up to 60% of its body, even to the point of having ice crystals in its blood. National Geographic says that, ‘Even more incredible is the fact that the wood frogs stop breathing and their hearts stop beating entirely for days to weeks at a time.’ Trees also go into a state like hibernation or dormancy and lose all their leaves and scale back to conserve their resources. Here in Australia the trees plant their roots and when the warmer weather comes, they start to produce fruit.

The biblical Winter is similar to this of the tree. This is a time for us to plant our roots, to rest in God and learn about him. After the winter period is over, and we have learned all we can, relying on Him and spending time with God, we will be able to produce fruit.

John 15 says: Jesus is the vine, we are the branches and God is the gardener. In verse 4 it says: Stay joined to me and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must stay connected to the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must stay joined to me. This reminds us that we need to stay in connection and relationship with Jesus to be able to produce fruit and be content and happy in our lives. Resting in Jesus will give us the strength and wisdom we need to face the things we are going through, including the physical and spiritual winters we face.

Mrs Naomi Cooper | Chaplain