Seasons

I was abruptly reminded today through our warm, muggy weather that the seasons are about to change. I should be thankful...rarely do we even have a year where we feel like we experience seasons. We just alternate between muggy, hot days and muggier, hotter days! But still, I can't help but be sad that the crisp, cool air of winter is about to be gone for another 8 months...while I know we may have a few nice days in Spring, I am preparing myself for the onslaught of Texas heat! I guess it is the Canadian in me that prefers the cooler weather.

There is a song by Nicole Nordeman that compares the seasons of the year to our life in Christ. It is such an incredible song. The winter is compared to our life being dead without Him, and the Spring represents new life through His sacrifice. It is awesome.

I have been pondering lately not just my life in Christ and how that changes, but also the seasons in life that we experience as we grow older. I am amazed looking back at the seasons...growing up and going to school, then experiencing the freedom and sometimes shocking truths of life revealed in college, next marrying the man of my dreams, working in the real world for the first time and finishing school, and finally settling down in a town for more than a year as a young married couple. It has been really cool to see how different seasons have shaped us and continue to change our view on life and even of each other in our marriage. I have so enjoyed watching my friends transition into yet another season as they experience motherhood for the first time, and I enjoy dreaming about the day when Adam and I will enter into the season of parenthood together.

I can't help but thank God for never abandoning us in our seasons...some are definitely more enjoyable than others. Sometimes we are on the mountaintop, savoring every moment of beauty and happiness, while other times we are anxiously waiting for the pain to end as we suffer for a little while (or sometimes a long while) in the valley. Sometimes we are walking close with Him living out His word, while other times we make decisions that are not in line with His will. Yet through it all, He is there, perfectly planning the seasons in our lives and orchestrating them to bring Him glory. How good it is that we can trust Him through it all, knowing He is walking with us.