Lessons from the Seasons

If we didn’t know the truth about seasons, the trees in winter, might lead us to despair.

Late last spring, my daughter and I, went to a local nursery to get some brightly colored annuals for the deck. Since Covid-19 had our entire family home for the majority of the time, I really wanted some brightly colored flowers to brighten our space. I wasn’t able to find exactly what I was looking for, but my daughter found a brightly colored purplish petunia hybrid and we decided to give it a try.

Her choice did not disappoint. Those flowers rapidly grew and spilled out of the boxes that I planted them in. I delighted in looking at them all summer long as I drank my morning coffee or did the dishes. I commented to her more than once, that I was so glad that we went with her suggestion.

But, now as October rolled in, what had been gorgeous in its season, looked scraggly. There were some blooms that were stubbornly hanging on, but what been beautiful in May, seemed out of place in October. I went on a hunt for some pansies to brighten those planters.

As I reluctantly pulled up those petunias, I was reminded how some things are only bloom for a season. Even the vibrant color that had brought me so much pleasure, seemed somehow out of place in the early fall.

Nothing ever stays the same on this side of eternity and when God set up creation, He set it up for constant change. From seeds, to blooms, to fruits, to harvest, creation stays in constant motion. What we plant either grows or dies, but it never remains the same.

Our walk with God has seasons as well. Sometimes we feel completely in sync with Him; blessings are raining down and we are blooming and producing fruit. These are the spring and summer seasons. But, other seasons can be hard. We can feel like the trees in winter, like we have lost all of our leaves and our souls are completely bare like those branches.

For many of us, this pandemic has been one of those seasons. If we focus on what has been lost, it’s easy to despair. If you looked at the trees in winter and didn’t know any better, you would think they were dead. You would think all was lost. But, we know that winter is not the end for the trees. We know that unseen work is being done in preparation for the spring.

Those of us who are Christ followers know that this pandemic season of despair and loss isn’t the final word for us either. We know that God has the final word, that He is at work and that He has a plan. For those of us who know that truth, now is the time to share it, maybe now more than any other time in our lives, because we were all made, knit together in our mother’s womb for such a time as this.

Some petunias and pansies reminded me that there is a season for everything. The Bible tells us so. If the season that you find yourself in is particularly hard, take heart; change is coming. You can count on it. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂