Shield Maidens: "The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds" - Be Strong and Courageous

Trek through the snowy woods of Bulgaria with a brave little girl armed with a warm heart, determined to rescue the world from endless winter. Join our lion-hearted heroine as she battles blizzards, whirlwinds and childhood wounds, triumphing over storms around and inside her to save the day. 

More about snowdrops
https://tobulgaria.org/2016/01/01/snowdrops-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0/

Psalm 18
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+18&version=NIV

More on the armor of God
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+6&version=NIV

One of my weapons of choice
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+91&version=NKJV

Transcript

Shield Maidens: Episode 5

“The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds”: Be Strong and Courageous

            Welcome to Lost in the Woods: Finding Your Way as God’s Daughter Through Fairy Tales ™. I’m your host, Autumn Woods, and I’m so excited you’re here. We’re continuing our season of shield maiden stories; tales of warrior women who protect those in their charge and use their skillsets to defeat the evil that would destroy them and all they love. As daughters of God, we are expertly fashioned to be women of war. This doesn’t mean we battle against all the men or use our weapons against each other. We may not even stand on a literal field of combat this side of heaven. The human heart is our fortress and battleground, and as an ezer kenegdo, a strong rescuer, you are charged to defend it against the attacks of the enemy and fortify it with love, encouragement, and the Word of God. 

As always, I will be reading a favorite fairy tale and providing an analysis of it from a Christian perspective. Before we get started, I want to clarify something that occurs in our next story so that you aren’t tripped up by terminology. There is a character in it who is referred to as a “good wizard.” Don’t let the word wizard bother you. For our purposes, he is a Gandalf type of character. 

In our last full episode, we talked about the challenges of being a living sacrifice and using your lesser gifts to accomplish your purpose in spite of trials and enemy assaults. Our next episode focuses on strength, courage, and endurance. Sometimes, the greatest attacks come when you’ve been on a winning streak. You set out to do what God made you to do, fully confident that you will succeed, winning battle after battle. Then, the enemy pushes a finger into your gravest wound, felling you where you stand. What gives you the strength to get up and keep fighting the good fight? 

To find the answer, we trek through the snowy woods of Bulgaria, where a brave little girl armed with a warm heart determines to rescue the world from endless winter. We’re taken on the journey with her as she battles blizzards, whirlwinds and childhood wounds, triumphing over storms around and inside her to rescue those in her charge.

So, let’s get lost, as we read the story of (The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds). 

One year the wicked Winter Witch decided to stop Spring from coming on time and make Winter the only season on Earth. She hid the Sun behind dark clouds and covered the Earth with heavy snow.

So one morning the people from a small mountain village woke up and found their houses buried under the snow up to the roofs. They started digging tunnels from their own to the neighboring houses, and gathered in small groups to decide what they could do.

They finally decided that the best thing to do is to send someone on the highest mountain peak, where the good wizard Father Frost lived in his palace of ice and ask him for help.

But no one was willing to go on such a dangerous trip.

“I am ready to go” an old man said. “But I’m afraid I’m too old and slow to reach the peak on time. If only I was 20 years younger…”

“Don’t worry, grandfather, I will go!” his little granddaughter said. She was an orphan, living in his home since her parents died.

“No, not you!” the neighbors pitied her: “You are too young and tender for such a hard job!” “You don’t even have a warm coat!”, “No hat and scarf!”, “Not even woolen mittens!”.

“I’m not afraid!” The little girl said – “My feet are strong and I’m as fast as a mountain goat!”

“But you’ll freeze up there, with no shelter to hide from frost!”

“I will not.” the girl said firmly. “I have a warm little heart, full of love for everyone. It will save me from the frost.”

“Go, my child.” the old man said. “I know your good heart and I trust it.”

The children, who were all her friends, gave her their warmest clothes:

“Here, take my coat.” one of them said.

“My mittens are so warm. Put them on!” said another.

“Take my hat!”, “My scarf!”, “My woolen socks!”, “And my boots!”

Soon, the little girl was ready to go.

She waved back at her friends and started for the snowy mountain peak a quick pace…

She went further and higher, never thinking about rest. Soon she was able to see the glittering ice on top of the highest peak.

All of a sudden, the whirlwinds, woke up from their sleep and noticing the little figure in the snow, became furious:

“Who dares to trespass our property?”

Let’s show her who we are!” They screamed.

“Let’s blow at her so hard, until she forgets where she’s heading for!”

And they started whirling fiercely around the girl.

But she only huddled into her warm coat, and bravely went on.

The whirlwinds got very tired, and one after the other, fell on the ground gasping for breath.

“What a strong girl!” one of them said. “We are exhausted, and she’s not even tired…”

“No human being has ever overmastered us, let alone such a fragile little girl… If we cannot manage ourselves, let’s call our sisters the Blizzards for help.”

So they called for the Blizzards…

Hearing them the Blizzards became very angry:

“She will pay for that!”  They roared and threw themselves after her.

It was a long an uneven struggle, but the girl overcame the Blizzards too, thanks to her strong warm heart, that never let her feel fear, or weariness.

The Blizzards fell on the ground breathing heavily.

“That’s-s-s -a -s-s-shame!” one of them hissed. “We are not able to stop her! Let’s call our mother for help!”

“Mother, mother!” they all screamed. “Come to help!”

Their mother was the Frosty Winter Witch. She came at once, and said:

“I saw everything. Now listen to me: When you cannot defeat someone by force, turn things the other way round. Let’s be good to her!”

“What do you mean? To kiss her?” a whirlwind asked ironically.

“Nothing of the sort.” the Frosty Winter said: “Let’s just try to be polite and kind, so she will never suspect us of any evil thoughts…

So the winds stopped and the blizzards went away.

The Frosty Winter Witch appeared before the girl in like a beautiful young woman in a sparkling white gown, with long white hair and a crown of icy diamonds.

“Am I dreaming, or is this some good miracle?” the girl thought. “This beautiful lady has the face of my dear mother, and I can hear her sweet voice singing my lullaby!

Oh, how I want to hear some more! I’ll sit here for a while…” she said to herself. “I’m so near to the Palace. No more than an hour walking left…I’ll be on time…”

The little girl sat down and closed her eyes. The Frosty Winter Witch grinned in delight:

“Sleep, little girl. And may you sleep forever!”

Then she left the sleeping girl on the snowy hill and flew away to tell her children how she managed to deceive the girl.

The little girl was sleeping, smiling happily. But the colour of her face was changing as time passed. Her pink cheeks became at first red, then blue, then waxy yellow… She was slowly freezing…

Until all of a sudden, something stirred the snow. A squeaking sound was heard, and a tiny head showed up from a hole in the snow. It was a little white mouse. Her shiny black eyes fixed on the sitting figure.

“Someone’s in trouble!” squeaked the mouse. And right after that a number of little holes opened in the snow, and a number of mice peeped out of the holes.

They ran to the girl, and started massaging her feet and hands.

But mice were so little and their labours so inefficient, that they decided to call their friends the rabbits for help.

This time bigger holes opened in the snow, and a number of white rabbits peeped out and ran to the rescue.

From the snow-covered pine trees, a number of squirrels jumped down, and soon the girl was covered with white and brown fur all over. The little animals warmed her up with their own furry bodies. They were extremely happy, to see her cheeks becoming pink again.

Soon the girl opened her eyes…

She thanked her new friends for saving her life, and told them why she was here and where she was going. “We are coming with you!” the animals cheered. “We also suffer very much from this never-ending Winter.

Flocking around the girl, the animals accompanied her to the Ice Palace. There, they all knocked at the gate, but no one answered…

“What might have happened to Father Frost?” the animals wondered.

“Let’s try to open the door! It’s not locked!”. They opened the heavy gate and the girl stepped in, followed by her friends.

A glittering icy corridor led them to a big crystal hall. And there, on a gorgeous throne of carved ice, Father Christmas was fast asleep sitting on his icy throne, dressed in silver embroidered clothes.

Two squirrels jumped in his lap and tickled his face with their furry tails..

A mighty sneezing sound made them all freeze with fear. But Father Christmas opened his blue eyes and smiled: What are you doing here, little friends?”

The girl told him everything.

“You mean, I have slept here, while the wicked Winter Witch was trying to stop Spring from coming? Throughout the whole winter?” Father Christmas asked astonished. “I guess, she decided to outsmart me and stay on Earth forever! But I will not let her!

Thank you little ones for waking me up! Now I’ll restore the natural order and give everyone what he deserves.”

Then he blew on his silver whistle and in an instant, all his subjects appeared in the big crystal hall. He ordered them to go and find the Frosty Winter Witch and bring her to the palace, so he could lock her down in the cellar until next year. He also told them to clear the skies from clouds, so that the sun can melt the snow.

When the big gates opened again, the sun outside was shining and the soft snow, has started to melt.

The way back was much easier. The new friends parted, promising to help anytime when needed.

Everyone in the village cheered, meeting the brave little girl.

They were very happy to pick the first snowdrops and give them to her.

Spring was also very happy to hear the songs and see the dances the children had prepared specially for her.

(The End)

I discovered this story last year and it quickly became a favorite. I was absolutely struck by the spiritual implications and symbolism in it. There are a few flaws here and there, but overall, the patterns presented in it are very consistent with things that occur in our Christian walks. Don’t wander away from the campfire. We’re about to shed some light on the incredible treasure hidden in this story. 

We begin with the bad guy. Like Jadis in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the Winter Witch is our devil figure in this story. I have to wonder if C.S. Lewis was familiar with “The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds” and used it as a base for certain events in the Narnia saga. Both women have the same proud attitude as Satan and concoct diabolical plans to grasp power beyond their jurisdiction and rule the world. The adversary’s rebellious heart is revealed in Isaiah 14:13:

‘I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God,

And I will sit on the mount of assembly

In the recesses of the north.’

Just as the enemy meant to set himself higher than his designated position, The Winter Witch disrupts the natural order of the times and seasons for her own personal gain, smothering the world in a blanket of endless winter. Winter represents death, dormancy, and frozenness, as in being paralyzed and seized with the inability to make clear decisions. Winter itself is not evil. Much good is done during its dormancy. It’s a time to rest and gather strength. But too much rest is just as harmful as hyperactive production. There is a time and season for everything under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1); even Satan’s activities are restricted by God to opportune times like those of any other member of creation. Read the book of Job in the Old Testament for a clearer picture of this dynamic. When it looks like the enemy is being allowed to run amok, it’s a call to arms. It’s an opportunity for God to be glorified and for His people to honor Him by clinging fast to His precepts and acting boldly on His Word. We are not a passive people. We are a royal priesthood and holy nation of warrior kings and queens and we do not meet our trials lying down. 

Like the underground church, the people of the mountain village risk their lives to gather in small groups in their homes and decide how best to handle this cold calamity. They quickly come to the conclusion that they must send an ambassador to seek help from Father Frost, who rules from the highest mountain peak. The villagers recognize that they cannot overcome this disaster alone but must turn to the highest authority to save their world from evil. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says 

“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

The good wizard Father Frost is meant to be a stand in for God or the good leaders He has placed in authority in this world. Fortunately, the Creator of the Universe has it together much better than Father Frost, who falls asleep on the job. But because we are not privy to understand all the intricacies of the way God operates, it can seem like He has forgotten about us or chosen to take a nap at our most crucial hour. Psalm 121 tells us that God “will neither slumber nor sleep.” He is vigilant and waits to move until the timing is right. Sometimes, He is simply waiting for us to come to Him and ask for what we need. James 4:2-3 tells us that we have not because we do not ask God with the right heart. If we come to Him with the good courage of a child, confident that our Father loves us and will provide what is best, we will receive the help we ask for. 

In fact, it is the bravery of a young child coming boldly before Father Frost’s throne that liberates the frozen world. Our heroine is the only one courageous enough to take on the elements and climb to the mountain fortress. Her neighbors underestimate her at first, insisting that she is “too young and tender for such a hard job” and bound to freeze to death since she has no warm clothes. Confidently, she asserts that she is fearless with strong feet and the speed of a mountain goat. The love in her warm heart will save her from the Witch’s frost. She sounds like David before his battle with Goliath. No one believed that he could fell the big brute who “[defied] the armies of the living God” because of his youth, inexperience, and lack of armor (1 Samuel 17). They forgot that God looks on the heart and uses those who trust in Him and the gifts they’ve been given to do great and mighty things for His glory. In the seclusion of the meadow, God strengthened David’s heart and body so that he killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands in defense of his father’s sheep. There was no physical audience for these triumphs, but it was enough for David that they happened by the grace of God alone. He knew that he was capable of things beyond his natural abilities because of his trust in the One who made him. In 2 Samuel 22, David credits God as the source of all his strength and prowess, saying

            “With your help I can advance against a troop:

            With my God I can scale a wall…

            It is God who arms me with strength

            And keeps my way secure.

            He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;

            He causes me to stand on the heights.”

Sounds like our little mountain goat girl! Her heart is right and she knows that she has what it takes to complete this arduous task in spite of her neighbors’ doubts. Her grandfather affirms her decision and gives her his blessing to, go saying that he knows and trusts her good heart. Isn’t that what we want to hear from our own parents and grandparents, and especially from God Himself? I know you; I trust you; you can do this. Notice that the orphaned girl receives this love and affirmation from an adopted father. We are intimately familiar by now with the concept of the Lord taking care of us when we are forsaken by our earthly parents. When we come to God and He enfold us into His family, we receive the spirit of adoption and sonship (Romans 8:15). Wherever the world has told us “no,” God says “yes.” If we trust Him with our hearts, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13). The girl’s grandfather stands in this position for her, encouraging her to meet her destiny head-on. 

Inspired by her courage, the other children of the village lend her their warm winter clothes for her journey. It is almost as though she is being outfitted with the armor of God as her friends joyously bedeck her in her borrowed coat, mittens, scarf, hat, socks, and boots. Look at that! Six pieces of heavy winter wear, six elements of the armor of God: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the boots of preparation, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:14-17). Six represents man and our vulnerabilities. The armor, both godly and woolen, protects the vital areas where weak spots can be permeated by the attacks and deception of the enemy. 

Properly prepared for her quest, the little girl sets off to face the dangers of the mountain. With unflagging energy, she swiftly scales her quarry. Before long, she glimpses its highest peak. But her progress does not go unnoticed. Soon, the winter whirlwinds are roused from their slumber and catch sight of the intrepid climber approaching the fortress of Father Frost. Enraged by her audacity, they surround her and whirl ferociously, hoping to force her to forget her quest and turn back. Their plan fails miserably, as the young girl pulls her coat tightly around her and perseveres through the blasts, moving ever closer to the mountain peak. The whirlwinds wear themselves out until they collapse on the ground, bewildered by the girl’s strength and determination as she continues to rise above them. 

This is such a beautiful illustration of spiritual warfare. The enemy and his cohorts become furious when they realize that believers have invaded their territory. They will try anything to stop us from being effective members of the kingdom of God in order to cause pain to the Creator. The hits are directly aimed at the Lord, but the attacks certainly feel personal when you’re the chosen target. When you gird yourself with God’s truth and quench the fiery darts of the wicked one with the shield of faith, you prevent the lies of the enemy from deterring you from your goals. If we guard our hearts from demonic attacks like the little girl guards hers from the Winter Witch’s children, we will ascend to higher levels in our walks with Christ just like she ascends higher up the mountain. This is not to say that spiritual attacks are a sign that you’re not walking in God’s will. Actually, they can be a signal that you are exactly where you are supposed to be, and the enemy can’t stand it. The point not to never come under attack, but to be prepared when you do.

Furious that a fragile human girl has bested the children of the Winter Witch, the whirlwinds call on their sisters, the Blizzards, to stop the girl from reaching Father Frost. The fuming Blizzards fling themselves upon her, pummeling her with icy wind and snow. The struggle is more arduous this time, but the girl’s warm heart saves her once again from giving in to fear and weariness, and the exhausted Blizzards are forced to retreat. 

You may have heard the phrase, “new level, new devil.” As you grow in your faith and your relationship with Jesus, there will be things that come against you in certain times and seasons that you will overcome, much to the enemy’s dismay. When the lower-level onslaughts fall flat, Satan will come up with new tactics based on our words, our behavior, our pasts, and our heart wounds. He’ll engineer something that hits below the belt of truth in hopes of making us question God’s goodness and the validity of our continuing to fight the good fight. The goal is to make us lose interest in or become too angry, hurt, or ashamed to stay on our new level with God. His perverse hope is that we will walk away from Him altogether. These operations are allowed to happen so that we can be pruned of the things we have neglected to tend; dead limbs and stems that we’ve allowed to suck the life out of us because we aren’t paying attention to them. Their removal will ultimately allow us to move forward and thrive, but we have to confront these heart wounds and triumph over them first. 

Our heroine is strong and courageous. She has a warm, fearless heart, a loving grandfather, and supportive friends. But she does not have a mother. She has been able to construct a healthy inner and outer life that compensates for what she’s been missing, but she is human. There will always be a part of her that wishes for the bond she never fully knew. The Winter Witch knows this all too well, so when the whirlwinds and Blizzards come crying to her about the nasty girl who bested them on the mountainside, she schemes to hit her where it hurts. The lion-hearted young lady is already an expert at surviving open warfare. Her weakness lies in discerning the venom behind a beguiling, serpentine smile meant for her eyes only. 

Disguising herself as “a beautiful young woman in a sparkling white gown” and adopting the countenance of the girl’s dead mother, the Winter Witch approaches the unsuspecting heroine, her siren song floating to her across the blustery mountain breeze. Enraptured, the girl stops in her tracks, sinking down into the snow with tears of joy running down her face as her childhood lullaby emanates from the mouth of the dazzling woman standing before her. She tells herself that she is almost through with her quest anyway. There is no harm in stopping here to rest and listen to her mother’s song. As the music fills her ears, her eyelids grow heavy, her body falls limp, and she curls up in the snow, lulled into a deathly sleep.

Delighted at the success of her wicked scheme, the Winter Witch flies off to brag to her children about her triumph, leaving the girl to freeze to death on the mountainside. Though she smiles in her sleep, our heroine’s skin shows the toll her error has taken on her body. The healthy glow leaves her cheeks, giving way to the signs of overexposure, hypothermia, and impending death. When you give in to the temptations and lies the enemy places before you, you don’t always feel the destructive effects of your choices right away. It will feel good at first. You’ll wonder why you waited so long to do what we’ve done and surrender to it completely. Then, like Adam and Eve after eating the forbidden fruit, you experience the pang of guilt at your actions and desperately attempt to justify them or cover them up. Sometimes you jump to the conclusion that you’ve already messed up so badly that you might as well curl up in the mess you’ve made because it’s too late to return to God and slip back into your armor. Maybe it doesn’t fit anymore anyway. Maybe you never were an ezer kenegdo to begin with.

I have good news for you: it isn’t true. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, God doesn’t see your sin when He looks at you: He sees the woman He originally created you to be; the woman you will become. The first defining phrase uttered by God about woman suggests that He imparted to us His miraculous ability to come through and save the day when all hope is lost. He gave us His wild, ferocious love and compassionate heart. The enemy doesn’t understand any of these things. That’s why he attacks them so mercilessly. He’d love to make us forget our identity and our purpose and strand us in the middle of nowhere until we agree that’s where we belong.      

But no matter if you’ve slipped a little or a lot, you can come back from the point of death. God made a way for you because He loves you. He will never leave you or forsake you. And if you aren’t strong enough to make it back to Him right away, He’s assigned angelic and earthly companions to you to help you stand up and take the first steps. We are meant to encourage each other and spur each other on to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). We lay hands on the sick and they recover. We speak life over the dry bones and watch them rise as living children of God. 

            In our story, this is shown through the daring rescue of our heroine by the animals of the forest. A little mouse is the first to find her and realize that she needs help. She calls to her companions, and the brave little creatures flock to the girl’s aide, doing all they can to warm her. Realizing that the problem is too big to handle themselves, they call in reinforcements. Soon, rabbits and squirrels burst forth from the forest and huddle against the girl, reviving her with their warmth. This chain of events shows what can happen when we pray in agreement together. Someone spots a problem and asks a few others to cover it in prayer. If each of them inspires more people to come before the throne in agreement, those prayers keep coming before God to move His heart. James 5:16b says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” When Paul and Silas prayed and worshipped God together with their whole hearts in prison, an earthquake wracked the entire building, and the chains and jail cells holding them and those around them were supernaturally opened. Imagine the power of multiple saints praying together and the wonders that God will unleash because of our trust in Him.   

Remember that in fairy tales, helpful animals often represent angels or the Holy Spirit. In this instance, it can also be argued that the animals symbolize the prayers and encouragement of everyone who hopes for the renewal of the world. All of creation is affected by the sin that permeates our earthly home and eagerly awaits the day that God will restore all things to their rightful glory (Romans 8:19-22). Notice that after the little girl arises and explains her mission, the woodland dwellers tell her that they, too, suffer greatly because of the Winter Witch’s cruelty and will gladly aid our heroine in her quest to set things right. Ecstatically, they march up the side of the mountain together and reach the gates of the Ice Palace. 

No one greets them when they knock at the gate. Puzzled, the band pulls the heavy door open and troops into the throne room, where they find Father Frost (now called Father Christmas) dressed in splendid silver robes and dozing deeply on his icy throne. Two squirrels immediately leap into action and rouse him by tickling his nose with their tails. After sneezing himself awake, Father Frost listens intently to the young girl’s account of the wicked plot engineered by the Winter Witch. Indignant at the Witch’s audacity, Father Frost thanks the “little ones” for waking him up, and vows to “restore the natural order and give everyone what he deserves.”

Remember that while the God-figure in the story fell asleep, our God never does. It may appear that He has stepped back, but He is not deaf to the cries of His children. Like Father Frost, He is moved by our petitions, our grief, our outrage, and He will swoop in as the ultimate ezer to save His people from the ravages of the evil one. Listen to this beautiful passage David wrote in Psalm 18 to get the full picture of the beautiful, protective, fierce love God has for His sons and daughters:

“In my distress I called to the Lord;
     I cried to my God for help.
 From his temple he heard my voice;
     my cry came before him, into his ears.
 7 The earth trembled and quaked,
     and the foundations of the mountains shook;
     they trembled because he was angry.
 8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
     consuming fire came from his mouth,
     burning coals blazed out of it.
 9 He parted the heavens and came down;
     dark clouds were under his feet.
 10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
     he soared on the wings of the wind.
 11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
     the dark rain clouds of the sky.
 12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
     with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
 13 The Lord thundered from heaven;
     the voice of the Most High resounded. 
 14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
     with great bolts of lightning he routed them…

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
     he drew me out of deep waters.
 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy…
 19 he rescued me because he delighted in me (Psalm 18: 6-19).”

That’s how God feels about you. When His children are being hurt and cry out to Him, He rampages like a mama bear after the enemy. And that’s the kind of fierce love He put in His daughters for those we are meant to protect. 

It’s because of that kind of love that the little girl is able to endure the trials of the mountain and rescue her people. After hearing her case, Father Frost wastes no time in rebalancing the scales of justice. He blows on His silver whistle and assembles his subjects into the throne room. Silver represents truth, righteousness, and purification. Father Frost calls on his subjects to dispel the lie that the Winter Witch shall reign forever and rid the world of her wickedness. She is seized and locked in the cellar under the ground until the proper time comes for her release. 

Triumphantly, our heroine and her new friends return home. The villagers celebrate her courage as the sun melts the snow beneath their feet, revealing the first snowdrops of the season. These beautiful little white flowers do not last long after they are plucked, but they are the perfect present to give to the girl in honor of her victory. In Bulgaria, snowdrops are one of the first signs that winter is giving way to spring. Everyone sings and dances exuberantly, knowing that the restoration of all things is at hand. 

Our enemy will also be imprisoned until an opportune time, but after his release, we will triumph over him with the Lord once and for all (Revelation 20). After the devil’s final defeat, Jesus will make all things new for us, like spring bursting forth in our story (Revelation 21). We who are strong and of good courage, enduring to the end, will get to experience life the way God always intended it to be. He will wipe the tears from our eyes. “‘There will be no more death  or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things [will have] passed away (Revelation 21:4).” Part of your job as a warrior woman is to encourage your fellow soldiers, your brothers and sisters, to remember this incredible destiny that awaits us if we persevere. 

Like the little girl who faces the winter whirlwinds, we must also guard our hearts and refuse to give in to fear and deception. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Chase out the influence of the kingdom of darkness by surrounding yourself with people who radiate God’s light and spur you on to fulfill the destiny He placed in your heart. We have each been given a unique skillset by God to reach the people in our immediate spheres and beyond. It is woven into the foundation of the woman God calls you to be. Sharpen your sword, ezer kenegdo, and use the tools you have to set captives free and speak God’s kingdom into this earth.  

            Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode and rate the show on your favorite podcast platform. If you’d like to see what else is going on in the fairy tale forest or support the show, check out the Lost in the Woods Buy Me A Coffee Page.  I’m Autumn Woods and I can’t wait to see you on the path next time you get Lost in the Woods.