The Beauty of the Seasons

By Bethany Lashbrook

This week’s verse: Galatians 4:10, “You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! (NIV)

I’ve heard that in warm climates, where the seasons change less than in the Midwest, you might often find the people more drained and exhausted. I couldn’t imagine that. Wouldn’t it be great to have warm temperatures all year long? But, the reason why they are found to be exhausted is because with warm weather comes demanding schedules. Instead of getting necessary “down” time during cold winter temperatures, they tend to be on the move all year long. Any time that I am dissatisfied with the cold weather, I try to remember that the Lord has placed the winter season on us for a reason. It is a pause from it all. It is a time to catch up, to accomplish small things, to recuperate.

And then comes Spring. People out. Lawns being mowed. Kids on bicycles. Kites in the air. Soccer being played. Baseball fields packed. Birds chirping. Shorts on. Kids anxious for summer vacation. Gardens being planted. Windows open. Leaves on trees. Easter flowers blooming. Snakes poking their heads out (eek). Women walking for exercise. Bees buzzing. Need I say more? Busy. Busy. Busy.

Although I find the summer months exhilarating and exciting, I often find myself “too busy” for some much needed time with God. I need to remember that the reason I am so lucky to enjoy the summer activities is because the Lord has given me that privilege. I am rich with blessings the Lord has bestowed upon my family, my friends and myself. I am guilty of having such pleasures as freedom to do as I please, amenities that allows me to buy what I need when I need it, and the luxury of enjoying all the above in a free country.

So, this season, although busy running here to there, and there to here, I am going to remember to take time to thank the Lord for the weather. To thank him for the peace I have. To thank him for my children and their sometimes never-ending sports practices. To thank him for my “hectic” lifestyle that I have brought upon myself. To thank him for the country I live in where I am free to roam. To thank him for the winter where I have rested plenty and for the Spring where I can wake up, rejuvenate from the sun and spend many waking hours delighting in His Creation of beauty, expertise, and peace.

Dear Father, thank you for your beauty and the magnificence you have shown in your creation. Please help me to slow down this Spring, to take it all in, to breathe deep, to bask in your creation, to remember to spend time with you, and most of all to appreciate all that you have done for me. Thank you for your Son. Thank you for His willingness to suffer, so that I may live – and live life to its fullest knowing you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application: Make a list of things you can do while your kids are at practice. Can you walk and pray at the same time? Can you keep a bible in your car to have on-hand? While walking, can you listen to your favorite preacher’s podcasts? Or catch up on the latest Christian books? Since the kids will be out of school, enhance your and his day by starting out with a child’s daily devotional. And, as always, find quality time to spend with your family - - and enjoy it!

Power Verses:

Exodus 20:11, “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.” (NIV)

Psalm 104:19, “You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set.” (NLT)

Ephesians 1:3, (Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (NIV)