Seasons

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Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. Ecclesiastes 11:7  

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

God provides healing in unexpected ways. I’ve always believed in the healing power of nature in its many forms. Sunshine and heat and prolific wildlife in the summer, cold, crisp air and the beauty of death and decay in the winter. But are those plants really dead? Not all! Some are just waiting for spring’s touch to come back to life. They’re resting, gathering strength (the reason you’re not supposed to cut some flowering bulbs back), and will reappear in March, April, or May (at least here in the Midwest) looking fresh and new. There is beauty in the decay, though, and I’ve included some of those photos here. If you've taken the time to appreciate the fall leaves and their fiery, beautiful color, you know what I mean.

Like a resurrection, spring offers hope and healing. Can winter offer the same? Probably not in the same way, but it can offer us a time to rest and gather strength.

“Whatever the design of the day, it was beautiful and calming” writes a devotion writer from Tennessee in The Upper Room. She shows appreciation for nature in all its forms.

We may struggle through some seasons of our lives, but there is beauty in the struggle, beauty in the “rest”.

Talking in their Sleep, a poem by Edith Thomas

“You think I am dead,”

   The apple tree said,

“Because I have never a leaf to show—

   Because I stoop,

   And my branches droop,

And the dull gray mosses over me grow!

But I’m still alive in trunk and shoot;

   The buds of next May

   I fold away—

But I pity the withered grass at my root.”

   “You think I am dead,”

   The quick grass said,

“Because I have parted with stem and blade!

   But under the ground

   I am safe and sound

With the snow’s thick blanket over me laid.

I’m all alive, and ready to shoot,

   Should the spring of the year

   Come dancing here—

But I pity the flower without branch or root.”

   “You think I am dead,”

   A soft voice said,

“Because not a branch or root I own.

   I never have died,

   But close I hide

In a plumy seed that the wind has sown.

Patient I wait through the long winter hours;

   You will see me again—

   I shall laugh at you then,

Out of the eyes of a hundred flowers.”

Prayer: Dear Lord, be with us through the many seasons of our lives. Be with us when we struggle, knowing that you are growing our faith and perseverance. Help us remember that we can learn from troubled times. Thank you for the beauty and hope of spring, and for the rest and dormancy of winter. Help us remember that we are growing through it all. Amen.

Donna Gustafson