8.12.2011

seasons

Change and I have a love/hate relationship.

I love Change in seasons, furniture arrangements, wardrobe options, driving routes, menu options (at home), numbers on the scale, haircuts, and wall colors...to name a few.

I hate Change in .... well, anything that I don't have control over. Oddly enough, there is one thing on the previous list that fits the bill and that is "seasons", and the only excuse I have to offer is that to some degree THAT change is the catalyst for all my other "controlled" changes.

When its summer, I long for fall - because then I can rotate my clothes (and buy new ones), decorate differently, shop for school supplies eventhough I'm long since past those days, dress warmer, spend more time outside (or drive different routes to extend time with windows rolled down), and bake things like Sweet Potato Casserole in preparation for our Thanksgiving feast.

When its fall, I look forward to winter - to even colder temps, warmer clothes, Christmas decorations, Christmas parties, Christmas drinks and Christmas cookies, Christmas movies, winter haircuts (I always get the notion to chop when it's cold), yummy soups, and possibly snow days

Then... I long for spring - for the relief from blistering winds to warmer breezes, sundresses and shorts, cardigans and scarves solely for decoration, flowers, birds, green grass and trees, picnics, spring cleaning and bright colors

Understanding that I live in Texas, I can't say I necessarily look forward to summer, BUT in all honesty, I do enjoy the change - swimming pools, sno cones, tans, shorts and sandals, the idea that most people are eager for the spontaneous road trip anytime anywhere, homemade ice cream, bbq grillouts, family vacations, trips to the lake, and the overall laid back approach people have

Each season always comes. And each season always goes. It's cyclical. It's enough of a routine for my "beaver" and enough of a change for my "otter". There is beauty in each one of them. Each season is unique and I love them all differently.

This is one type of season. It's the other type I'm still struggling with. While I know winter only lasts a few weeks and summer a few years here in Texas, the seasons I speak of are those that don't work on routine, cycles, or equinoxes. There aren't even calendars to plot out when one might come. They are unexpected and sometimes ruthless. And at least to my knowledge, no one is like the other.

This type of season does not have the same affect on me as the other. I don't want it to be a catalyst for me to switch things up. I don't want to grow, I don't want to learn, and I certainly don't want to change...anything! I'd like to ignore this type.

My prayer is that I can begin to view both types of "season" as the same...a catalyst for change. One I can count on by calendar, and the other I can count on because of my relationship with the Lord. Because He loves us, He will stretch us. He will mold us. He will refine us. AND He will prune us....so that growth can occur.

which looks a little like this and a lot how I currently feel...


(for those of y'all not from East Texas, this is a pruned crepe myrtle)





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