On my drive this morning I was enjoying the beauty of this current season. I love Autumn, the rich colours of red, orange, gold and brown, the hazy sunshine, the smell of fires, the sound of crunchy leaves underfoot. Oh, and lovely warm comfort food. Autumn is by far my favourite season. So much so that I named my daughter Autumn.
Reflecting on this beauty I started thinking about seasons – not just those of nature, but also the seasons in our lives. There is an image I have seen countless times on social media which reads: ‘Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.‘ This really resonated with me. In fact, the writer of Ecclesiastes suggested “For everything there is a season…A time to search, and a time to quit searching; a time to keep and a time to throw away;” (Eccl 3:1,6). Each season brings with it change.
Spring ushers in new life, hope, a freshness, and relief from the darkness and cold of winter. Summer brings warmth, light, a sense of freedom and joy. Autumn indicates a time of letting go of things, surrender. A time to gather in the harvest and prepare for the next season. Winter can be a dark, dreary, cold season, a time of isolation, or a time of rest, for some it prompts thoughts of warm fires and being tucked up in safety.
I wonder what season you’re in right now? Perhaps winter? Facing a time of enforced rest owing to physical or mental illness, maybe you can’t get out much anymore and you’re feeling isolated or lonely. Or Spring? You’re entering a new season of life, you’ve changed jobs or maybe retired, you’re in a new relationship, just married or have welcomed a new arrival. Summer? Maybe you’re experiencing a sense of easiness, that life is coasting along just nicely and you’re enjoying the sunshine. Or Autumn? Where you’re taking stock of things, maybe life’s been hectic and you realise you need to slow down, facing difficult decisions about what to hold on to and what to surrender. That can be tricky especially when you see how fruitful certain things have been. But just as God commanded the Israelites to allow their land to rest every seven years, we too need to rest.
Whatever season you are in right now, know that God is with you. He will never leave you, He is faithful, consistent, and He loves you with an everlasting love. The seasons change, but God remains the same, yesterday, today, and forever.