Rejoicing in the Season
There's a projected high of 55 degrees here in Beulah on Sunday.
To celebrate, I think we'll spend lots of time outside. Wishing the snow farewell. Splashing in the puddles it leaves. Just wearing a light sweatshirt - no winter coat, no mittens and no hat. And who knows, maybe even breaking out my Chacos.
This afternoon, as I contemplated the possible change of seasons, I thought of how ready I am. Usually I love winter. But I usually love winter when we have snow, which has been lacking out here this year. (Sorry to my Minneapolis friends.) And I usually love winter when there aren't weeks spent at ridiculously below-zero temperatures.
So I'm ready. Ready for warm sunshine, walks where my face doesn't freeze or people won't comment on the fact that my snot frosted underneath my nose. Ready to see green grass and flowers bloom. Ready to spend time at the park where my hands are tucked into my coat pocket for warmth. Ready to meet our little girl.
And as I thought about spring, my thoughts naturally, gradually moved towards summer. Even warmer weather. Afternoons at the lake. Laying in our hammock. Setting up our backyard pool for Ezekiel. Planting our garden. Long visits with family and friends.
In that moment I realized that I am hardly ever satisfied, because:
To be honest, it's almost like I'm always ready. Ready for the next season. Ready for the current one to hurry up and be over so something new and exciting can happen. Far too often, this mindset can travel across the seasonal weather line to my current life season.
I suppose this manifests itself most in being ready to be done being pregnant and to have our little girl in our arms. Ready to be able to lay on my stomach again. Ready to not getting kicked in the ribs.
And that's not right. That's not how the Lord would desire us to live. Seasons are that - simply seasons.
I can hardly wait.
To celebrate, I think we'll spend lots of time outside. Wishing the snow farewell. Splashing in the puddles it leaves. Just wearing a light sweatshirt - no winter coat, no mittens and no hat. And who knows, maybe even breaking out my Chacos.
Sunday will be a good day.
This afternoon, as I contemplated the possible change of seasons, I thought of how ready I am. Usually I love winter. But I usually love winter when we have snow, which has been lacking out here this year. (Sorry to my Minneapolis friends.) And I usually love winter when there aren't weeks spent at ridiculously below-zero temperatures.
So I'm ready. Ready for warm sunshine, walks where my face doesn't freeze or people won't comment on the fact that my snot frosted underneath my nose. Ready to see green grass and flowers bloom. Ready to spend time at the park where my hands are tucked into my coat pocket for warmth. Ready to meet our little girl.
And as I thought about spring, my thoughts naturally, gradually moved towards summer. Even warmer weather. Afternoons at the lake. Laying in our hammock. Setting up our backyard pool for Ezekiel. Planting our garden. Long visits with family and friends.
And wasps. And too hot of temperatures. And humidity.
Although I love spring - there are things I dislike about it.
Like slush.
Although I love summer - there are things I dislike about it.
Like being too hot.
Although I love fall - there are things I dislike about it.
Like how the leaves fall all too quickly.
Although I love winter - there are things I dislike about it.
Like multiple days below zero.
To be honest, it's almost like I'm always ready. Ready for the next season. Ready for the current one to hurry up and be over so something new and exciting can happen. Far too often, this mindset can travel across the seasonal weather line to my current life season.
I suppose this manifests itself most in being ready to be done being pregnant and to have our little girl in our arms. Ready to be able to lay on my stomach again. Ready to not getting kicked in the ribs.
And that's not right. That's not how the Lord would desire us to live. Seasons are that - simply seasons.
"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a tme for every event under heaven -A time to give birth and a time to die;a time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted.A time to kill and a time to heal;A time to tear 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 throw stones and a time to gather stones;a time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.A time to search and a time to give up as lost;a time to keep and a time to throw away.A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;a time to be silent and a time to speak.A time to love and a time to hate;a time for war and a time for peace."
In the midst of them, our life seasons may seem long. It may seem like there is no end. But seasons are temporary. And in every day that we are given, we are to live in it. To be all there rather than focused on what is to come. To rejoice in the every day, ordinary moment the Lord gives to us.Ecclesiastes 3:1-9, NASB (emphasis mine)
"This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24
"Rejoice in the LORD always; I will say, rejoice!" - Philippians 4:4 (emphasis mine)
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