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Friday, September 16, 2011

Weekly Snippet: The Passing of the Seasons

Fall has arrived, according to the rainy view out my window today.  Where I live, summer bakes the earth dry and dead, until the leaves turn brown around the edges and the sky takes on a faded appearance.  Then fall sweeps in and temporarily revives the world with constant, cold rain.  The last green things and all the colored leaves and fall flowers stand out brightly against a foggy gray sky, darkened, weathered wood, and damp earth.  It's a beautiful picture, and my favorite season of the year.

I see that every season has a purpose, although the hardships of each sometimes make the reason hard to see.  Without the baking heat of summer, we would have no sun-sweetened fruit to enjoy in the fall.  Without the falling leaves, the tender roots and bulbs would have no blanket to cover them until spring.  Winter snows enrich the soil with water and minerals (a little-understood fact), and sharpen our anticipation for spring.  Where would we be without spring?  Those lovely flowers and leaves are too young to bear fruit or bring shade, but they lift our spirits for another year, and signal the return of the sun.

Still, there is a deeper testimony in all of these seasons.  As Paul testified to the Greek crowd at Lystra, "In the past, [God] let all nations go their own way.  Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy," (Acts 14: 16, 17 NIV 2011).  These seasons testify to God's existence and proclaim His power, while at the same time, they show the kind and giving nature of God.  Now who wouldn't want to know a God like that?

The seasons of nature often parallel our own lives--an endless parade of planting, harvest, endurance, and hope. Sometimes we find it easier to see the hand of God than at other times, but in every season, God has brought us lessons to learn.  If we trust in Him, we know we will find in Him just what we need.  Today, let's rejoice in the promise we see outside our windows.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you [God] rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.  The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.  May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him. (Psalm 67: 4-9 NIV 2011)

1 comments:

Shannon said...

Beautiful thoughts! Praise the God who alone can bring spring renewal in winter hearts (Isaiah 43:18-21).

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