I’m starting to sense it, are you? Its only mid-February, and the Winter has not really been that harsh in comparison to others, but when it gets above freezing, the sun is out and it warms into the balmy 40’s – people are thinking Spring is not far away! But like a week ago, these spells are usually followed by another blast of snow and cold wind, freezing everything in its place with highs in the single digits. As any Iowan knows, if you wait long enough, the weather will change. Spring eventually rolls around and the seasons cycle through, whether we are ready or not. It is a bit like death and rebirth on an annual basis. What do you like most about the change of seasons?
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night
will never cease. Genesis 8:22
The older I get, the more I understand people heading South in the Winter to spend the coldest days in Arizona, Texas, Florida, etc. If you can, you try to control or eliminate the forces of nature that bother you the most. We hide out in our homes when it is cold, raining, or oppressively hot, and appreciate the outdoors when we can. Even if you move to ‘nicer’ places, there are downsides as well. Places where the weather is nice year-round, like California or Hawaii, tend to be a bit crowded and have their own unique challenges like Hurricanes, wildfires, and the like. But even if we try to control the weather by where we live, and account for everything else in dealing with our first-world problems, we still bring our sin with us. We will encounter other storms in our lives besides the natural ones that come and go. How well do you prepare for those?
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Though we may not like to admit it, people tend to grow the most when we go through trials and difficult times. We all desire and strive for good times, who doesn’t, but yet, we tend to become soft, complacent, and self-indulgent in those times. But when the challenges of life, sickness, loss, and death stare you in the face, you wake up to reality and change things accordingly. We often need wake-up calls in life, and when subtle things don’t work, the big things often do. We hear stories of rich and famous folk who seemingly have all the world has to offer, who still struggle with selfishness and overindulgence, like we all might. It is awareness of sin and repentance that God uses to make changes in our lives, which is sustained more through the work of the Spirit in us, than through our own willpower. As we trust more and more in Him, we can let go of trying to control and manipulate everything, and just enjoy what He has given us. Because as the seasons come and go, so does the rest of the world, with or without us. Let’s make a positive impact for God’s kingdom and our own little place in the world, while we are here.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. Isaiah 40:8
Yours in Christ,
Clark
