Winter, Spring, Summer, Or Fall

{There's a painting my mom's mom made of this one scene throughout the four seasons. It sits on a mantle in their living room, and I've always been drawn to it. I think our hearts are made to resonate with this sort of thing---a tree weathering the changes it experiences in winter, spring, summer, and fall. In fact, this post is largely inspired by this sermon that I listened to this morning on just that. Go check it out.}

That first crisply cool September morning...ah...I could just drink it in, I think. I feel like I can breathe better that morning than on any other morning. The first one happened just a couple weeks ago. I went out early in the morning, just as the sun was coming up, and I stood on the front porch barefoot, just to feel the cold under me. I inhaled---deep---fresh. "Yes, fall is here."

Historically, fall has always been my favorite season. The cool air. The clothes. The football. And the leaves---the colors of the leaves make my heart ache in that good kind of way! The food---pumpkins and apple cider and all things yummy that come at Thanksgiving. And that smallest little possibility that in the middle of North Carolina, on a just-the-right-temperature-day, there could be snow. It's a time of reprieve from the heat of summer, and a time of anticipation---of snow, of Christmas, of the next year not too far in the distance.

If you made me pick a season today, I'd say fall. But...then, I love winter, too. I mean...snow. That's all you really need to know. I love the way things get all frozen over when it gets really cold. I love seeing your breath when you stand outside talking in the morning. I love warm coffee on a cold morning. I love fireplaces. I love cinnamon. I love pretty lights everywhere. And, hello, I made my grand entrance into the world mid-winter! What's not to love about that? But, winter-lover that I am, by about February, I'm longing for Spring.

Spring is just bursting with new life! The flowers just explode! What kind of joy is better than seeing that first tree bloom after a long, cold winter? Doesn't it make your heart leap inside you? There's so much promise---so much hope being realized. The winter has passed. Things begin to thaw. We were made for spring. My favorite line in a book I love called Notes From The Tiltawhirl is this one where he talks about dear family members who have died. He talks about graveyards as gardens. Many seeds planted; waiting. The resurrection, he says---well, it's gonna be "a glorious spring." I can't drive past a cemetery these days without longing for that Spring. But you know, even Spring has its chilly days...even Spring gives way to Summer.

Summer is warmth. Light. Verdant. And Summer is coming. One day we'll have no need for a sun because the LORD Himself will be our light! That FULL life is coming. I long for that full life to be here now.

How can I pick a favorite season, now, I wonder? Maybe I don't have to. Maybe, He really has made everything beautiful in its time. Maybe, I was always meant to enjoy Him in all of the seasons. Maybe, each season has been appointed for a different purpose---and the One thing that remains the same throughout the seasons is God. I think,maybe, I am growing up. Learning to walk with God in the seasons of life that I am enjoying, and the ones that I don't yet feel ready for. Lately, I feel a bit like a little child who is still enjoying summer, and isn't yet ready for fall---pouting because the warm temperatures and the poolside days are gone for another year. I mean, we'd all like to have it only be the way we want it all the time. But God knows what we need. He really is good. And He really is using all things to work together for the good of those who love him and called according to His purpose---to make us like Jesus. Man, I just want to enjoy Him. In every season. Even the next one that I am a little afraid to enter. He'll be there.