Seasons

When we were children, we learned the seasons in school. Summer was my favorite. We were on summer vacation from school, the days were long, hot, and carefree, and I celebrated my birthday in the summer. I wanted summer to go on forever, but, as it does, September rolled around, and it was back to school time.

As a child, I didn’t mind winter. I grew up in Ohio, and we had plenty of snow to play in and always hoped we would get a day off school for a snow day. As an adult, I am not crazy about winter. I hate being cold and snow is only enjoyable for a brief moment. Others embrace all the season offers and thrive in winter’s various activities.

What about seasons of life? We all go through them. Unlike the physical winter season, I don’t know many people who enjoy the winter season in their life, when life is hard. Trials and tribulations seem to come one after the other. Life feels dark, depressing, and lonely. I may feel as if God is far away, and I am on my own on this journey. Winter seasons feel like they will never end. It seems the winter seasons of my life always last longer than the spring and summer seasons. I recently had lunch with a good friend, and we talked about different seasons we had been through and how they molded us. Funny enough, I am not sure we touched on the good seasons. We all have spring and summer seasons, but we grow the most in the dark, challenging, and painful times. Trials seem to mold us for good or bad in ways that no other time in our life can.

I live in the south, and it is hot for at least six months of the year. Thank goodness fall and winter show up. Too much of a good thing is too much. By October, I am tired of being hot. I realize this is how life is also. Too much of a good thing is, well, too much. If all I had was the summer heat, everything would eventually dry up. But if all I had were winter seasons, the new life growing underground would never sprout and bring me the beauty of spring. God definitely knows what He is doing in nature, and He knows what He is doing in my life.

Solomon had some insight into this when he wrote Ecclesiastes 3, a well-known chapter of the Bible. He begins by stating that “To everything, there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:” then, he lists many different times for varied activities. Verse 11 states that God has made everything beautiful in its time. This concept has gotten lost with me several times throughout my life. I want an uncomplicated time without going through a painful moment. I must understand that there is a purpose for everything I go through. Also, I must remember that no season lasts forever, no matter what it feels like at the time.

Another thing to remember is that whatever season I go through, it is not a reflection of whether I am being blessed or cursed or a good or bad person. The earth must go through all the seasons just as I must go through the good and bad times in life. According to Science Made Simple in the article Autumn Leaves: How Plants Prepare For Winter, “In winter, plants rest and live off stored food until spring. During winter, plants and trees are resting. As plants grow, they shed older leaves and grow new ones. This is important because the leaves become damaged over time by insects, disease, and weather.”

I love how I can learn about myself spiritually as I look at God’s glorious creation. I will go through hard times. However, there is always a purpose for these times. Look at the story of Job. He lived a blessed life and then lost everything. God allowed Satan to torment Job. He permitted this trial to show Satan and all in the heavenly realm that Job valued God and God’s ways above all his earthly possessions, family, and health. Never once did Job lose God’s favor. He suffered tremendous loss during this winter season. While going through all the despair and losing everything, Job stood firm in his faith and was faithful to his God. God tremendously blessed Job after enduring all these trials. He led Job out of despair and into a time of blessing again.

The last thing I see through life’s seasons is that I can learn through everything I go through. Also, the hard times prepare me and strengthen me when I face tough times again. I can also use the lessons I learn to help my friends and families when they face difficulties. The vital lesson to learn and remember is that God is always with me, and He will faithfully bring me through.

As I think about the seasons of my life, I realize I may have made significant mistakes about what season I was facing. I wrongly believe I have been in winter for many years. Sometimes I wonder if a spring season will ever come. As I have spent time thinking and praying, I see that I may have moved into spring or maybe even summer. Still, I realize I may be going through either spring rains, times of pruning, and somedays I am going through a hurricane of rain and wind. But I am in a time of growth, not hibernation. I realize that maybe winter is not so bad. It may be dark and gloomy, but this is when I can get times of rest and restoration. Just like winter in nature, winter in my life is preparing me for spring. I may have to go through dry times, but I must remember that rain is coming. It may be a time for pruning (Ps 37:7), but there is purpose in the pruning. We have boxwood hedges outside my neighborhood that had grown too large. This spring, the city had a hard prune performed on the barrier. They looked awful, but today when I was walking, I saw new growth sprouting on many branches. I was so encouraged to see life reviving in what looked dead. I am waiting in expectant hope for my life to reflect the maturation God is creating in me. 

A couple of things I want to remember as I go throughout my life are, first, no season lasts forever. Second, I need both the sunshine and the rain to grow and mature. Farmers pray for rain for their crops. I also need to remember that rain comes in the summer. It doesn’t mean summer is over; just a time for different nourishment for growth. Third, just as the earth is closer to the sun in the winter, perhaps I need to move closer to Jesus, the Son, in my winter moments.

No matter my season, I can thrive and live well because I am never alone (Romans 8:35-39). The apostle Paul demonstrated the proper heart attitude when he said, “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:12-13)

I want to see the beauty of all the seasons, especially winter, and remember that spring always comes.