I love that—at least in places with four distinct (or semi distinct) seasons—each season is just long enough for you to really appreciate the next one. By the time spring rolls around, we’re tired of cold temperatures, and we’re ready to wear short sleeves and drive with the windows down. And by the time summer rolls around, we’re ready to go swimming and take family vacations. And by the time fall rolls around, we’re excited about cooler temperatures and pumpkin-scented candles. And by the time winter rolls around, we’re eager for snow and Christmas and bundling up against the cold.
One thing I love about the seasons in Texas is that we have so many random days that don’t fit into the season in which they fall. Two days ago, it was 70 degrees; when I left campus this evening, it was snowing fiercely. Maybe I just like variety, but I enjoy the 70-degree days in the middle of February to break the norm of cold temperatures. And I love the days in the summer when it drops to low 60s or even 50s, and then pops back up to 102.
I like that we also experience seasons in our lives and spiritual journeys. If we didn’t go in cycles we would become stagnant—and I believe even getting “stuck” in a good place can become unhealthy. Spring, bursting with life, is so much more refreshing when it comes after a harsh winter. And a harsh winter is so much more bearable when there’s the remembrance of past summers and the hope of new springs. Those random out-of-season days are so needed in our spiritual lives, too. A day of spring in the middle of autumn or winter gives hope that it won’t always be cold, hard, and dead or dying. A day of fall in the middle of summer serves as a sobering reminder that it hasn’t always been this warm and carefree, which helps us appreciate summer that much more.
There are things I like and dislike about every season, both in the weather and in life, but I am trying to be grateful for each one and to search for God in each of life’s seasons.
