Winter is not the favorite season for many people. Often, they think of wintertime as cold, gloomy, dark, and oppressive. The birds rarely sing. The sun sets early. The cold air makes it difficult for many to be outdoors. Gardens lay dormant, and deciduous trees stand bare of their foliage. Apart from the times when the landscape is covered with sparkling snow, many winter scenes are bleak with dull shades of colorless browns and grays.

In the Song of Solomon, the blooming of flowers and the singing of birds are pictures of the growth of romantic love. In chapter 2:10–13, King Solomon described a vivid picture of the anticipation of spring after the rain and cold of winter. “My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”

Many young people who are longing for marriage sometimes feel trapped by the icy bonds of winter. They long for the day that they fall in love, and on that day the sun will shine, the birds will sing, and the flowers will bloom once again. But in the good providence of our God, wintertime is just as important as springtime for the growth cycle of life.