Beautiful Reminder

What a beautiful reminder the changing of seasons always is. I took this picture the other day at the house I grew up at. As a little girl, I always looked forward to winter morphing into spring because it marked the beginning of my adventurous search for wildflowers. I would run outside barefoot and examine every square inch of our yard, making sure I didn't miss any pretty spring flowers. In admiration, I would sometimes sit down on the grass by our pond and marvel at the fact that the very same landscape had just been blanketed in snow and somehow it was now gone. Everything was turning green and brave little flowers were peeking up just waiting to be picked and fussed about.

Recently, I found these daffodils blooming, bright and yellow. This discovery marked the beginning of something new, as it always had. I picked them and held them for a while, nostalgia overtaking me. Soon they would sit on the counter in a jar for my mom to find her treasure, just like when I was a little girl.

I watched the seasons change as a little girl in Maine. During wintertime, my brother and I transformed our yard into a frosted play land, making snow forts and snow men. Our cheeks pink from the cold, our mom would always take our wet hats and mittens and put them in the dryer as we walked through the door. Hot chocolate was always soon to follow. From our yard, as I explored every inch, I watched harsh winter turn into hope-filled spring. I danced around in the newfound warmth, my eyes dazzled by all of the flowers that needed picking. Birds were chirping and mud was everywhere, waiting to be splashed in. Spring grew into summer where I could pick every type of berry imaginable. I would put them in a bowl, trying to resist the urge to eat as I picked, and bring them into my mom so that she could transform them into a delicious pie. Summer meant flying kites, water-gun fights with my brother, and begging my dad to give me a ride on his lawn-mover. Oftentimes, my dad would also be found in the garden, where I would sneak in and chomp on a fresh picked vegetable that was meant for dinner that night. The days of summer would come to an end and I would wait patiently for the leaves on all of the trees to do their job. Breathing in the crisp, new fall air, I would jump in piles of golden colors. Looking for any excuse to take in the mesmerizing autumn scenery, I'd take off on my bike, collecting leaves along the way. 

The changing of seasons has always been a beautiful reminder to me;a constant that I can count on; a message that new life and new hope are coming; a chance for a fresh start. God alone can turn hot summer days into the crisp, cool Autumn. He alone can make Autumn slowly fade into the still, serene winter and then transform blankets of white into fresh green grass, singing birds, and flourishing nature. He is present in every season, in every transition period, and He makes himself known all around us. Just when it seems like we can't take any more cold, He ushers in the warmth. Just when the sweltering heat gets overwhelming, He allows us to welcome in cooler air.

The unmistakable presence and breathtaking work of God in the seasons, points me to His presence in daily life. He carries us through life seasons, too. He is our constant through the transition periods. Sometimes it can seem as if God is opening and closing some doors before we are ready, but we have the opportunity to hunt for the beauty of the position He has placed us in. It may seem like He's not there, but He always makes himself known, just as He does when the flowers bloom and the snow falls for the first time. As humans, we can't go outside and tell the seasons to stop and start when we see fit. We don't have the ability to tell plants their timeline for growth or direct the sky on what type of precipitation will fall. God arranges all of that perfectly and we have the honor of enjoying it. Why is it so easy, then, in our daily life to try to maneuver our seasons a certain way? If God can take care of the seasonal changes and beauties of nature on the whole earth, He can and will take care of the transitions in your life.

When you look at the wildflowers, remember that God is greater than the highs and lows. Despite what was going on around them, He still allowed those flowers to bloom and flourish.

Admiring the changing of the seasons brings a steady, unshakable peace. You can have the assurance that God is present and capable and you can breathe in deeply of the breathtaking creation and say. "It is well with my soul."

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