It is easy to find positives about the seasons we enjoy; however, it is more glorious to find positive things about the seasons that are not our favorites.
The fall season has arrived and, with it, mixed emotions can rise in the hearts of many. For some people, fall is their favorite season; whereas, other people have associated fall with pain. Personally, I am somewhere in the middle. Fall brings back many painful memories, yet it also brings back many fond memories. As humans, it is easy for us to only remember the negative, and it can be a challenge to focus on the positives. During this year, when the changing of the seasons begins, try to focus on recognizing God's beauty.
Instead of being drowned by the worries of this life, turn to God. God is beautiful, wonderful, and worthy of all of our praise. He is the One who created the seasons, and He is the One who causes them to change each year. In a way, the seasons attest to His greatness, power, and the resurrection. When the leaves fall off the trees in the fall, the trees become bare. New life doesn't come until the following year when the spring blooms come to life.
We can see this as an example of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. The autumn leaves fall, the trees are dormant during the winter, and then everything comes to life again in the spring. All of the seasons are beautiful if we take enough time to see the beauty in each of them. It is easy to find positives about the seasons we enjoy; however, it is more glorious to find positive things about the seasons that are not our favorites.
Seeing Beauty in Little Things
We can recognize God's beauty in the changing of the seasons by seeing beauty in the little things. Fall is the season we are in now, and it is a truly beautiful season. During this season, we have two major holidays–Halloween and Thanksgiving. Thinking back to when I was a little kid, fall was always exciting because it was the genesis of the holiday season. Halloween would come, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and then it would be a new year. For a kid, this is very exciting; however, as we get older, we can lose the excitement we used to have.
The worries of the world, the stresses of relationships, and our own personal battles can cause us to lose sight of God's beauty in the changing of the seasons. For many of us, we are so caught up in our jobs, social media, or our own struggles that we are blinded to all the beauty around us. From my own personal experience, I have been able to discover that the darkest parts of my life were when I was failing to see God's beauty and His goodness. Instead of focusing on Him, I was focusing on everything else.
What I learned, I also share with you. Don't allow the worries, wants, and desires of this world to steal your joy. You deserve to enjoy the changing of the seasons and to see God's beautiful creation. Take time on your drive home. Stop and take a walk in a park to admire God's beautiful creation. Notice the changing colors of the leaves or the days beginning to get shorter.
Not only should you stop to see the beauty of the changing of the seasons, but you also need to slow down to see the beauty in what God has given you. Notice the smile on your partner's face or the giggles of your baby. Let your heart warm with the message your mom sent or the sweet voicemail from your friend. In all these things, we can stop and admire all the little things that aren't really little at all. They are beautiful blessings that have been given to us by our amazing God.
God Is with Us During Our Own Changing Seasons
It is also important to know that God is with us when we have our own changing seasons. Maybe your changing of seasons is moving to a new state for a job change or it is navigating life after you broke up with your partner. All of these things can be hard, yet nothing is too hard for God. Remember Him in these moments and know that you can always go to Him. God didn't cause the bad thing to happen, yet He can bring good out of the bad situation (Romans 8:28).
I remember when I graduated college, I didn't know what I wanted to do. What I once thought I was going to do was no longer on the table. I had thought I was going to become a missionary after college, only to realize that no missionary agency would accept me beyond a short-term mission trip. More than that, I wasn't able to raise enough funds to go on a short-term trip after college. With all of these things being meshed together, I was told by many that maybe I wasn't fit to be a missionary.
As you can imagine, that caused me to feel extremely negative about myself and caused me to feel lost in life. I had thought I knew what I wanted to do, yet there I was, being told I wasn't good enough–again. If you have also gone through a similar situation, know you are good enough. God did not make a mistake when He created you. You are beautifully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-19). God has a special purpose for your life that only you can complete.
I was rejected by missionary agencies because of my struggles with anorexia, depression, anxiety, and later OCD. They thought I wasn't well enough to work in the field or that I would be emotionally unstable. The truth is that very seldom are any of the missionaries we hear about today accepted by missionary agencies. Often, they are also deemed "not good enough." Instead of going with a missionary agency, they go with their own funds and are still able to do amazing work for God. As we can see, God is with them during their changing of seasons just as He is with us through ours.
Life can be scary, but there will never be any growth without change. The changing of the seasons can be sad for many of us, yet they are also a beautiful time to recognize the beauty of God in nature. The leaves fall and the trees go dormant, yet our hearts can be full of joy and love if we choose to focus on God. While we might not be happy all the time, we will have the joy of Jesus in our hearts.
With the changing of the seasons, we may face grief-filled holidays, awkward events, and some unwanted encounters with family members. Know that no matter what you have to face through this season, God is with you. He holds you safely in the palm of His hand and He will never let you fall. You can always rely on Him because He will never fail you. He loves you with unconditional love, and it is a love that will never be broken.
Slow down this year and try to recognize the beauty of God in the changing of the seasons. God's beauty is all around us if we just look for it. From the smallest of breaths we take in the morning to the setting of the sun at night, there is always a way to see God at work in the world. He tells the sun to rise and set, and He provides the moon and stars to shine at night. He is in charge of the changing of the seasons, and just as He keeps the physical seasons in their beauty, He will help you see the beauty in your own seasons of life.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/MarianVejcik
