Can You Spare a Little Change?
Play on words. Not really the spare change found in our pockets or purse — but the changing of seasons that we may be going through in our personal and family’s lives. In Texas, we get four distinctive seasons. Sometimes, more or less distinctive but I enjoy the change in creation and the cooler weather Fall brings. We may not have white Christmases, but we can enjoy lighted snowmen in our yards. I’ll admit, I do miss a little of that ton of snow in Canada’s Winter Wonderland.
Once upon a time, I changed the decor of my home at the turn of every season. I’d get rid of the old so we could embrace the new. In my quest to declutter, my seasonal décor is now driven by a “less is more” mentality. The Bible says there is a season for everything in life (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). If only we could embrace the seasons of our lives as willingly as we embrace the seasons of the year. But we tend to resist change that goes outside our comfort zones.
God planned the seasons of our lives with infinite wisdom. He ordained each one, knowing exactly what fruit is to be harvested during each time frame. I believe that since His desire is to do us only good, He plans each season for us. So why are we prone to resist the season we’re in? When it’s summer, we want fall. When it’s winter, we want summer. When we are single, we want to be married. When we are married, we want children. When we have children, we want them to be grown and out of the house. When the nest is finally empty, we miss them and want them back — at least occasionally! ?
We are so like the children of Israel. They murmured and complained and kept demanding more. God brought them out of 400 years of slavery, gave them rest from their enemies, and provided daily food, water and protection. But no matter what He did, it wasn’t enough. They refused to place their total dependence on God whose plans were for their good (Jeremiah 29:11). So, an entire generation perished before seeing their promised inheritance. The wilderness journey was not a picnic. It was an adventure into the unknown, and it was a change of season for an entire nation. But the Lord knew the way through the wilderness, just as He knows the way through ours.
God ushers in the seasons in our lives and walks us through them. He desires that we embrace what He is doing in our lives with faith and gratitude. During the season of planting, when there is no harvest, God is watering, nurturing, and fertilizing us so that in due season we can bring forth the fruit He desires. Then, after harvest, it’s a time of pruning. Ouch! As painful as it may be, God knows how good it is for us so we’ll produce more fruit. We can trust God to do whatever He needs to do in our lives today because of His proven faithfulness yesterday
Tomorrow begins Thanksgiving week, the time to count our blessings and enjoy, as God does, this season right now. Every day is a gift so let’s savor all the sights, sounds, smells, family, friendships, fellowship, food and fun of the season. God, in His infinite wisdom, planned our lives and leads us through many fruitful seasons. Instead of wishing we were in a different one, may we be grateful and embrace THIS ONE!
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9