Seasons Change

Not every season is the same.

Six months ago, I was enjoying my patio almost every early morning and evening. Temperatures soared into the upper 80s during the day and dropped to barely 70 degrees at night.

I swam with my grandkids at the beach at The Woods. Linda and I rode our bikes and hiked trails. Summertime was fun!

My grass was green, and I was busy pruning back the encroaching shrubbery. Kids' voices permeated the air in my neighborhood, alive with activity. And daylight ranged from a little after 5am to almost 9pm.

Today it’s dark before 7am and again at 5pm. The only activities in my neighborhood are cars driving by and an occasional dog walker shivering in the cold.

But there’s a reason for seasonal differences.

Spring brings new life and growth. Summer is full of enjoyment and activity. Fall is the time of harvest and preparation for the cold. Winter is a time of stillness and rest.

Your life is that way. We get nostalgic when thinking of the past (at least I do). But life also has its seasons. Longing for what was keeps us from embracing and being blessed by what is.

There are seasons in your past that were probably more peaceful. There are other seasons that were more exciting. Most of us can think of a season that was more difficult, or maybe one that was more fruitful.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

It’s how life goes. We can either resent the shorter days or embrace the pattern of life. Summer is warmer and winter is colder. I wish I could sit out on my patio, too. But the cold air encourages me to rejuvenate inside with a book, getting my spirit ready for the rapid changes coming in the spring.

Just as nature lives in rhythm, so do our lives…even our spiritual lives. You may feel like you are flourishing, or maybe dormant.

This could be a season of planting or of harvest. Wherever God has you, embrace it and make the most of it.

Someday you’ll be nostalgic about today. Instead of longing for the past, let’s be sentimental about the present. It’ll prepare us for what’s to come and give us greater appreciation for the lives God has given us and more joy as we journey through it.