As soon as we pulled into the school’s driveway, I knew something wasn’t right. Usually filled with cars and suffused with the frenetic energy of morning drop offs, the snowy parking lot was eerily empty save for a lone figure, his body a dark smudge against the stark white landscape.  

My friend’s dad—the carpool parent for the day—got out to speak to the man. When he returned to the car, instead of ushering my friend and me to our classroom as usual, he reversed course. “School’s closed,” he said as we drove away. The reason, as I recall, was that the school building’s pipes were frozen—an unfortunate effect of temperatures close to -50 °F. 

Winter Blues

I was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, a small city tucked just 119 miles below the Arctic Circle, and as a kindergartner, I didn’t realize yet what a brutal place my hometown could be. It didn’t take long, though, for the reality of life in this forbidding frontier to register. As an early elementary school student, I learned to loathe winter-time recess, which was always outdoors unless the temperature dropped below -20 °F. As I got older and started to drive, icy roads caused me huge amounts of stress, and our dark winter days depressed my mood and sapped my energy.  

By my mid-20s, I’d come to dread winter. Every September, I would pray that the snow would hold off as long as possible, and when it inevitably came, I would fantasize about living somewhere else. But moving wasn’t really an option. My husband’s family has been in Alaska since the gold rush days and he wasn’t interested in living anywhere else, and since I cared more about being with him than escaping to a balmier locale, I knew I was here to stay. And that meant I was going to have to make peace with my climate.

A Shift in Perspective

I started by reminding myself of all the things we don’t have in Alaska, like snakes, scorpions, tornadoes, and tarantulas. This litany of things we lack became a mantra I recited whenever I started to wonder why on earth I live here: We don’t have snakes, we don’t have scorpions . . . We don’t have snakes, we don’t have scorpions . . .

Eventually, though, I shifted my focus to the things that are actually enjoyable about the colder months. I began appreciating the joy brought by cozy afternoons spent reading by the fire, snowshoe expeditions through Narnia-esque forests, magical night skies filled with dancing northern lights, and the luxurious sensation of sinking my feet into wool-lined boots.

I’d been counting my winter blessings for some time when, one day, I was surprised to realize something miraculous had happened: I no longer hated winter. In fact, I found I could honestly say that I liked—even loved—it!

Years later, I’m still amazed at how the simple practice of gratitude transformed how I feel about my town, though really, it probably shouldn’t be so surprising. After all, God has instructed us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV), and I have no doubt this is at least partly because He knows that gratitude can bring joy even on difficult days.  

Hope in Difficult Seasons

How about you, friend? Are you in the midst of a daunting season?

You may be confronting challenges that are much weightier than icy roads and frost-nipped noses. Perhaps you’re grappling with a relationship crisis, a financial shortfall, or a health scare. My heart goes out to you if this is the case.

The painful feelings and thoughts such problems can bring are valid and need to be tended to. But while you acknowledge and address the tough stuff, I want to encourage you to also take some time to give thanks for the good things—no matter how small—that your current season has to offer. Gratitude truly is a powerful force, and while it may not change our circumstances, it can certainly change how we experience our circumstances. 

Whatever your situation, I pray that today you’re awakened to the expressions of God’s goodness around you and that, through them, you feel the depth of His care for you. He is faithful to provide beauty and hope even in the hard places!

Meet Carina Alanson

Where to find her . . .

• Website
• FREE guide: How Do I Know if a Desire is From God? 5 Questions to Help You Decide,
• Instagram
• Facebook

Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.

If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.