Don't Resist This Season of Life!

I'm definitely a girl who enjoys change; and the longer we live in Central Florida I find myself dreaming of winters gone by! Once we had 3 feet of snow on the ground and my friend Susan had to rescue me and my 9 month old son from our home. (Our husbands were on a ministry trip!) If it were not for my friends 4 wheel vehicle and determination, Noah and I could have possibly been stuck without electricity and running water for a long time! (continued below)

This past winter in Maryland while visiting, we went to one of our favorite locations WhiteTail Resort! Enduring the brisk cold air and frigid temperatures was uncomfortable but a minimum sacrifice to the enjoyment we experience tubing, snow boarding and skiing.

I know from experience that after 4 months of snow and temperatures below 32 degrees,  Spring can't get here soon enough! The smell of fresh flowers blooming and creation coming alive is refreshing and motivating. The afternoon rain showers and warmer temperatures are welcomed by all . Of course by the end of April, I am very tired of putting on the rain boots and rain coat just to walk to the mailbox and I wonder is there any hope for the soggy ground where new seed has been planted. The anticipation of Summer is high and I start to look forward along with many others, to the dry sand on the beach, picnics by the lake and late nights in the pool. Well of course only until the middle of August, when one can no longer stand outside on the pavement for more than a minute, unless you want a few blisters on the bottom of your feet.

By early September in Maryland the temperatures are quickly dropping and the wind predicts that Fall is right around the corner. Cooler temperatures arrive and so do the vivid colors of orange, red and yellow. They decorate the leaves on the trees and look as if they have been perfectly hand painted! At times the scenery is overwhelming as I drive down Falls Road admiring the incredible landscape that only my God could have masterfully designed! We can now open the windows to let in the fresh air and at night sit by the bonfire, roast marshmallows and sip on hot coco! Now this is life!!! (Just a note, Fall is my favorite season, well when lived in GA, TN or MD. It's alot different here in Florida.)

But all too soon what once was a tapestry of vibrant colors turns brown! Everything turns brown. The trees have emptied their leaves, the grass has given up it's color and even the ponds turn icy grey. No sight of creation anywhere and what use to be easy to look at is now just a reminder that Winter is once again on it's way!

Thank God for His design and splendor of seasons! Each one has it's gift of beauty in a way that is different then the previous; yet each is as important as the other. Likewise this is true for the seasons God brings us to in our spiritual lives. We may not enjoy the harsh winters when our souls are emptied and it looks like God has deaden our dreams, but His plan is still perfect. He begins to kill all the areas in our lives that are less than productive and when Spring arrives, the soil is fertile and ready for planting. The cycle of seasons is again in full motion and we eventually arrive at our harvest, tasting the "fruits of our labor". It's then we realize it was so worth the process!