Summer!

June 27, 2024

Summer!

I have mowed my lawn several times and the flowers are growing around the house.  The trees are fully leaved out and the afternoon air is warm.  The snow on the mountain peaks is melting and wild flowers are blooming along the river. 

Summer is here!  We have made the subtle transition from Spring to Summer.  There is time at the lake with fishing poles and skis, there are picnics with friends and festivals around the community, and there are class reunions, weddings, and graduations.  In other words, there is change all around. 

Summer means we find ourselves in a new and different season with new and different opportunities.  Some of the changes rekindle fond and sometimes tender memories while others make way for joyous celebrations.  Some of the changes come with great anticipation while others come with a sense of dread or feelings of anxiety.   

The change of seasons reminds us that life is about navigating the changing seasons that come our way in life.  Sometimes I find myself in a season not of my own choosing; a season I don’t like much and that I want to end now.  There are other times I find myself in a season that is the consequence of my choices; a season that may be filled with great joy or a season filled with adversity.

Changes in the seasons of life are not always easy.  Some changes bring tears and heartache and anxiety.  At the same time, there are some changes in the seasons of life that we anticipate and celebrate and cherish. 

Here are a few examples of seasons that bring significant change to our life.  Some bring feelings of loss while others bring feelings of joy.    

+The loss of a loved one ushers in a new season of life.

+The doctor’s report saying disease has invaded our body brings in a new season of life.

+Moving to a new community pilots us into a new season of life.

+Our youngest child moving away from home thrusts us into a new season of life.

+A new job with new responsibilities leads us into a new season of life.

+A divorce after a long marriage steers us into a new season of life.

+A long-anticipated retirement guides us into a new season of life.

The poet/preacher who writes the book of Ecclesiastes understands the changes that come as we transition from one season of life to another.  He contrasts seasons that are good and seasons that are difficult as well as seasons that seemed filled with blessing and seasons that seem like a curse.  In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 he writes;

“Everything on earth has its own time and its own season.
There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping,
for killing and healing, destroying and building,
for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing,

for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting.
There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving,
for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking.
There is also a time for love and hate, for war and peace.”

The change of seasons from Spring to Summer in creation reminds us there are changes in the seasons of our life, too.  The changes come whether I am prepared or not, whether I want it or not, whether my faith is strong or not.

Two years ago, I retired after a 40+ year career.  Even as I was making the preparations to transition from one season to another, I was aware of a mixture of emotions. 

+There was sadness and feelings of loss accompanied by joy and feelings of hope. 

+There were questions about life-purpose and not clear answers to “What next?” 

+There were unexpected moments of tears and unexpected feelings of relief.

+There was saying “Good-Bye” at the same time I was saying “Hello.”

+There was letting go while grabbing hold of something new.

The transition from Spring to Summer does not happen in a single moment.  Instead, the transition is a process that is made up of many small and often subtle changes. 

Most of the changes in the seasons in my life and in your life don’t happen all at once either.  We often approach a change in the seasons of life by embarking on a journey of often very small and almost imperceptible steps.  Sometimes the change of season may feel like it has been quickly thrust upon us.  However, more often the change of season has taken considerable time to arrive. 

When that change of seasons comes, we continue on our journey.  We navigate through the change of seasons in a series of many small and often seemingly insignificant changes until one day we look back to acknowledge and maybe even give thanks for the change.

I don’t know what transition you are navigating right now.  Maybe you have just come through one of those changes of seasons in your life.  Maybe you are doing pretty well with all the adjustments.  If so, that is great!  I encourage you to give thanks to Jesus for helping you through all the changes.

On the other hand, maybe you are in the midst of an impossibly difficult transition from one season to the next.  Maybe the change is leaving you feel sad or afraid or alone.  Sometimes you may feel like you cannot endure the changes, that Jesus has abandoned you in the changes, or that there is no possible good that can come in the new season.  I encourage you to give thanks to Jesus even when you are not sure Jesus is with you in this new season.

I invite you to remember your circle of friends.  There is bound to be at least one who is facing or about to face a pretty difficult change of seasons in their life.  Invite them to coffee this week.  Listen to their story and their struggle.  Encourage them in the moment and support them in the coming weeks. 

Don’t forget to take time to pray for them and with them.  Your compassion and your prayers will make an immense difference for them and for you.  There will come a time when both of you will again take delight in the Lord God and in the Lord’s faithfulness through the changes of seasons.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug