Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 - Seasons

I love this time of year.  I think I always have loved it.  I remember the car rides to see the pretty leaves as I was growing up.  I remember the soups my Momma and Daddy made when this time of year rolled around.  I remember sleeping and waking to the crispness of the air coming in my bedroom window.  I would snuggle down deeper in the covers and soak a little bit longer to enjoy.  Sitting out in football games with a sweatshirt on loving the night air is another memory I love.  My morning walk today reminded me of so many of these fond memories.  I began to think about fall being the "perfect" season.  For a flash, the thought went through my mind "Why can't it be like this all year long?"  Silly me.  Of course it can't be like this all year long because then we wouldn't have the crops of the summer that we enjoy on our tables all year long.  Or the earth wouldn't have enough precipitation that it needes.  Just as the earth needs seasons, we need seasons in our lives in order to grow in the Lord.

Winter can sometimes be a bleak and ugly season.  It can also be depressing with having to be inside so much and the gloominess that comes along with it.  But in our spiritual lives winter is needed so we can regroup and draw closer to the Lord.

Spring is a time of rebirth not only in nature but it can also be a rebirth in our spiritual lives.  When spring rolls around, we are ready for new things.  We are ready to do some spring cleaning not only in our homes but a lot of times in our spiritual lives.

Summer is normally full on the calendar and that can be a distraction in our spiritual lives.  But summer also gives us opportunity to socialize more which God can use to His Glory when we give Him free reign.

Fall is a comfort time for me.  It's a time to start making the comfort foods.  A time to enjoy God's creation in a way that only the season of fall offers.  It's also a time to dig deeper into my relationship with Him.

No matter which season we are in our spiritual lives the Lord is here for us.  I think of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 this morning and am blessed to know the Lord is my guide through all the seasons of life.  He is my guide through the "junk" and through the blessings.  Woo hoo!


To Every Thing There is a Season

To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

Dear Jesus, 

Thank You for seasons.  Thank You for the opportunity to grow in my spiritual life.  Thank You for being with me through the "junk" and through the blessings.  You are so awesome, Lord.  I praise You for this season of fall in nature.  The way You paint the landscape is majestic.  I also praise You for guiding me through different seasons in my spiritual walk.  Thank You Jesus for being My Season Tender.  Amen.