Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative

Hear now the gentle yet mighty counsel of Robert H. Schuller, who declared: “Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come. These words, though clothed in the imagery of seasons, speak to the eternal rhythm of human life. For just as the earth knows winter’s barrenness and spring’s renewal, so too do our souls pass through cold nights and radiant dawns.

The meaning is clear to those who listen deeply: when the heart is weary, when the spirit is shrouded in darkness, our judgment is clouded. The tree in winter appears lifeless, its branches bare, its roots hidden beneath the frozen ground. Yet to cut it down then is folly, for within it still flows the secret pulse of life, waiting for the warmth of spring to awaken it again. So too with our own lives—when sorrow, anger, or despair seize us, we must not mistake the barrenness of the moment for the death of all hope.

Consider the tale of Abraham Lincoln, who in his early years was beset by failure after failure—business lost, elections defeated, and grief over personal loss. In the midst of his melancholy, had he abandoned his calling, had he made his final decision in that winter of despair, the world would never have known the leader who would preserve a nation. But Lincoln endured, waiting through the storms, until the spring of destiny came. His story shows that decisions made in darkness can steal from us the greatness waiting in the light.

Thus, the teaching is not merely to wait idly, but to be patient with purpose. The storm will pass. The spring will come. This is the eternal law of cycles, written in both nature and the soul. Just as no storm can rage forever, no sorrow can bind us endlessly. To endure the cold season is to trust that life renews itself, that warmth and clarity will return. Patience is not weakness, but the strength to trust what cannot yet be seen.

Yet Schuller’s words also contain a heroic challenge. For in the low times, despair tempts us to rashness. We lash out, we quit, we burn bridges that could yet carry us to brighter days. He warns us against this impulse, teaching that wisdom lies not in reacting to pain, but in waiting until the heart is clear, until the vision is steady. Then, and only then, should the great decisions of life be made.

The lesson is thus: guard your choices against the tyranny of the moment. Do not let sorrow, anger, or exhaustion command the throne of your will. Instead, when darkness falls, say to yourself: “I will not decide today. I will endure. I will wait for spring.” For in waiting, strength returns, and in patience, clarity dawns.

Take action, beloved listener: when next you find yourself in the cold winter of mood or circumstance, do not act in haste. Write your thoughts, breathe deeply, seek counsel, and allow time to restore your balance. Trust the rhythm of life—that after every night comes the morning, and after every winter, the spring. In this way, your decisions will be the fruit of wisdom, not the outcry of despair.

And so, the words of Robert H. Schuller endure like an evergreen tree in winter: Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come. May you remember this, and may you rise each time from darkness into light, bearing decisions born not of fear, but of courage, hope, and renewal.