Genesis 1:14, ”And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.”
Where I live, we have four seasons. Sometimes we have six when seasons fight to hold on. Let’s be honest, we all have a favorite season and we often complain when we are stuck in the season we don’t like.
I do not like summer. It’s just too hot. And the air conditioning in stores and offices is just too cold. Psalm 32:4 explains how I feel, “For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.” (Taken out of context, I know.)
Autumn, or “Harvest” as my Bible translates it, follows the heat of summer. The harvest comes in with tractors in the fields and on the two-lane highways making you late for appointments. I do love autumn for the campfires, sweaters and sweatshirts, hot chocolate, and beautiful leaves as they turn colors.
Crazy as it sounds, I love winter enough to make it my favorite season. There is nothing more beautiful and comforting than walking through the field under a softly falling snow. The peace and quiet of winter settles my heart. Winter includes the Christmas season, so perhaps that makes it my favorite. Each morning when I wake and look out the window to see a beautiful covering of snow that fell in the night, I am reminded of Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
And then there is Spring. Spring is the feisty season which tries to arrive in early January where I live. A few days of warmer weather can bring out green tips and buds which will soon be covered over again with snow. You must wait. It seems that this year we have yo-yoed back and forth for months. It is almost the end of April and we are still hearing freeze warnings and turning our furnaces back on.
After the snow relinquishes its hold on the weather, we swiftly move into rain and wind. Thunder, lightning, strong wind gusts, and tornado warnings. Through all of them, our grass turns vibrant green and requires mowing. The soil is worked by the farmers in between the rains, turning black and ready to plant. In Spring, God prepares the ground for seeds and trees for food.
A favorite part of the season is the return of birds from their winter in a warmer climate. (I’m talking real birds, not snow birds, but we’re glad they come back, too.) Spring is the time for endless changes.
Song of Solomon 2:11-13 beautifully describes the changes, “For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.”
Why am I writing about the seasons? They are a beautiful part of the Creator’s (Elohim) work that we often take for granted. All creation is there for people to know that God is real. Romans 1:20 tells us, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”
As believers, we see God working throughout the seasons. He is the Faithful God. Hosea 6:3 says, “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Spring brings hope of new life. Leaves and blossoms on the trees, flowers popping up after laying dormant through the winter, birds returning to build nests and raise their young, farmers planting seeds to grow food for people. The list is endless as we watch the earth come back to life. Spring is also when we celebrate Easter, when God raised Jesus to life.
During Summer, we watch the seeds sown in the fields bloom and grow into crops. Hope continues as we see the small seeds grow into pumpkins, corn on the cob, and hay to feed the livestock. God is our stability, as Colossians 1:17 says, “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Harvest time brings the gifts. This is when we pick fruit from the trees, gather honey from the bees, dig vegetables from the gardens, and rejoice in Jehovah Jireh who provides what we need to continue on.
Winter gives us rest. The ground rests after the harvest. The snow prepares the earth for the seedtime and harvest to come. It is a good reminder that we, too, need rest in our lives.
Let’s remember, before we complain, that God has put the seasons here for a reason, as part of Creation that He saw was good.
Taking it Further:
Which seasons do you love, and which do you hate? Do you need to change your attitude? Can you find good in even the season you dislike?