Seasons

I love the changing of seasons. The last time I actually witnessed a change of seasons was when I was 12 years old. In Kazakhstan, where I grew up, the seasons were distributes equally - three months of winter, three months of spring, three months of summer and three months of autumn.

I particularly loved it when after summer came fall and all the leaves would change colour from green to multiple colours of orange and red! We would collect the leaves and make garlands from them by tying the stem of the leaf to another leaf and we would decorate the entire park with long strings of bright, leafy garlands!

Then came the winter and you wait for that first day when the snow would fall and everything would look so white and clean, like a fairytale! We would go outside and play in the snow, build snowmen and have snow ball fights.

I did not particularly like the change from winter to spring, that awkward moment when everything is melting and the dirt mixes with the slush...yack! But then the reward of new life and first flowers and leaves springs forth and everything blooms all at the same time!

I love that life is also like that. There are moments that are cold and the yucky slush of awkward and unclear and unknown life moments and circumstances arise and cause this melancholic feeling, making you desire the beauty of the spring blooms. It is amazing to know that in the seasons of life you can almost be sure that after winter comes spring and then the warm summer of life. It helps me understand and embrace the fact that God can see the whole picture and He will bring things full circle. It makes it ok to have that winter experience because I know that it is the time of stepping back and allowing for things to take their natural course, no need to strive...just like nature needs rest before the revival, so does my heart and my Spirit need to rest before life springs back up in it's full swing. The key is to recognise the season God has you in, because there is a purpose behind every season...

...and for that I am thankful...

Everything Has Its Time

To everything there is a season, 

A time for every purpose under heaven: 

A time to be born, And a time to die; 

A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill, And a time to heal;

A time to break down, And a time to build up;

A time to weep, And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain, And a time to lose;

A time to keep, And a time to throw away;

A time to tear, And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

A time to love, And a time to hate;

A time of war, And a time of peace.

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-8