Seasons

It's a rainy, cold day here where I live. I was sitting at my breakfast table, looking out the window at the trees and the creek that runs through my backyard, thinking about how different this same view will be in just a few months.

I love that I live in an area that has seasons. I don't think I would enjoy living in a place where it stayed the same temperature all year round. It's nice to visit, but I would miss the changes.

I love the winter's cold weather, bundling up in warm clothes, snowball fights, snuggling in my cozy house, and reading a good book. I even love the warm, hearty food that you crave during the winter months. However, I don't really think it's the prettiest of seasons, with the leaves off the trees and the skies mostly cloudy and grey. Even the snow, which is beautiful when it falls, or when undisturbed looks like a fairytale, is soon filled with footprints, and turns into a dirty, soggy mess.

Fall is crisp, fresh air that comes to blow away the summer's heat. The leaves turn the trees into a beautiful backdrop that shows off my Heavenly Father's creativity. But I don't enjoy the mess the leaves make once they turn brown, and fall off the trees. Plus, the privacy that the leaves once offered, are now gone, exposing my house to the road.

Summer is tons of fun. I look forward to having my children home with me. We stay up late at night, sleep in come morning, no agenda, no stress. The kids enjoy the beach, the summer camps, and have many of their friends over regularly. Having said that, I absolutely can NOT take the severe summer heat! I hate when the temperature and the humidity make life miserable to be outside. I pretty much hibernate during most of the summer.

Ah Spring, that wonderful season of new beginnings. The flowers budding, the grass turning green again, and the temperature is not too hot or cold, but just right. There's Easter Egg hunts, and the celebration of the greatest thing that's every happened on earth before or since, the resurrection of Jesus Christ! As wonderful as that is, there is still one HUGE downfall to Spring - allergies!

I guess you can tell that with every season I've mentioned, there's been both good and bad things that come with it. I was thinking it's the same way in our "spiritual seasons". Every new level in my walk with the Lord, every new path He leads me down, has both positive and negative aspects that come with it.

I believe that while the Lord has a vision and plan for our lives, we must remember the enemy wants to destroy it at every turn. So while God may have a season of blessing waiting for me, that doesn't mean I won't face any opposition. Remember, even the Israelites who were to enter the "promised land", still had to fight their enemies to occupy it. The key was that they had already been told they would be victorious. So the way I see it, the promise wasn't just the land, it was also the promised victory.

The lesson is to look at every season through the eyes of faith and see what God is up to. If you're in a hard season, look for some good in it. If you're in a good season, but there is somewhat of a battle, remember God's promise of victory!

1st Thessalonians 5:18 - "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (NLT)