Seasons

My favorite season is Autumn. I even like the word Autumn. It's pretty! The whole season is just gorgeous...I mean, not really where I happen to live, but I know how beautiful it can be! haha! My Aunt always used to say, "We don't have fall in this part of Texas. We just have 'fell'. We wake up one morning and all the leaves are just on the ground. They fell overnight." It is soooo true! LOL!

But, Autumn, in general is a season of warm scents, beautiful colors, cool days and gentle breezes. Just thinking about it makes me smell the spices and warm smells. I can feel the warmth of fireplaces being lit for the first time since summer. I can hear the laughter and sounds of families gathering around tables for games, food, and the making of memories. This is what Autumn means to me. Peace, joy, and warmth.

But after that comes winter. Yuck. Cold, bitter winds. Yucky nasty rain. No color - just gray skies most days - and more rain.... And then that turns into Spring!!! Fresh air, cool brisk breezes, beautiful flowers, happy kiddos who GET TO GO OUTSIDE AGAIN! The anticipation of summer time and all that comes with the hot days and no school! :)

These are the season we go through in the physical...so how does that translate into the spiritual? Well, let's take a look...

Look back on your life. What did winter look like? Was that a trial you went through? A place where you weren't sure which end was up...a time where you weren't sure if God was there...maybe you questioned His very existence? I know I've been in that place. It's hard, it's dark, it's lonely, and it's - quite honestly - very very scary. And then walks in someone, or something happens, that brings a ray of sunshine. You see the hope in them and it brings to life a hope in you. It's like a brisk wind blowing the cobwebs off of your hurting soul. Flowers begin to bloom. Birds begin to sing. You have hope for a future! And then comes summer....time seems to drag on.... you are just basking in the warmth of God's love and all the activities and FUN stuff you are getting to do! Everything is exciting! Everything is FUN! You hope this NEVER ends...!!! And then everything gets quiet. Before you know it, the sun isn't quite so bright. The days are getting cooler. Maybe your passion is waning just a bit. Things that made your heart pound, the worship music that would bring you to tears in the first few lines, don't affect you quite so deeply....you realize that you need to dig a little deeper. Now you have a choice. Are you going to dig? Are you going to curl up by the fireplace and develop that relationship that will take you through the next year? Are you going to turn to those you see that have the fruit in their life that you want to produce? Are you going to take this quiet time and invest in your future?

I feel like I've been through the winter, spring, and then summer in the last few years - and now God has given me a season of Autumn. I am able to grow and nourish the relationships I've been blessed with. I'm in a season of learning and teaching. A season of nurturing and loving. And it's all in preparation for the winter that is coming. I know that God gives us times of quiet for a purpose, and if used wisely, these moments strengthen us for the journey ahead. It's in these quiet times that we are given space to safely grow, to lean on those around us for wisdom, to glean as much as we can from His word, from His spirit, from His love, and to take those things WITH us into the next season of our life. What I also know is that when we are adequately prepared, the next season is less scary, it's less difficult, it seems to last not as long, and we are able to actually enjoy it and not just endure it.

Let me challenge you today to think hard. Discover for yourself where you are. And then react appropriately. Think ahead to where you are going, and prepare yourself for that time. Know that God is with you in all seasons and all seasons are given for a purpose. As you move through the seasons of this life, remember to move through the season of God with purpose, with a serious intent, and with a passion for where you are as you look ahead to where you are going.

With every ounce of my quiet, determined, heart -
Kim