Growth: Embrace the Season – 24 March 2023

Every afternoon, when I drive home, I look at the vineyard on the hill near our house. The green leaves have started to discolour over the past few weeks. There is still a lot of greenery, but the orange and brown shades are becoming more visible. The air is also chilly, especially in the morning and evening, even if the days are still mostly nice and warm. The seasons are changing and by the time you realise it, the sky and light look different; you are right in the middle of another season.

In the same way, we as humans also experience different seasons in our lives – and there are often many more than just four. Some seasons are challenging and a time of sadness, some seasons are prosperous and joyful. During one season, you may be focused on your career, but with the next, your priorities look different. Maybe, you are in a season where you need to do less and take things more slowly.

The thing about the seasons in our own lives is that they can sneak up on you. By the time you notice that things have started to change, you realise you are in a whole new season.

When I look at the vineyard, I do realise one important thing: the vineyard looks different in autumn than in winter, and in summer and spring it looks different again. Time does not stand still and neither does the vineyard stay the same all year. There is always something changing – the nature of the work is just different – and the vine continues to grow.

Likewise, we can also continue to grow through all the different life stages and the different seasons in our lives, especially when we walk with our Father. After all, he made the seasons and he also knows which seasons you have to face in your personal life. He will give you the insight and wisdom for every season, as long as you ask him. I believe we should, therefore, try to embrace every season, even the colder, harder seasons. I believe it makes us stronger and it helps us to bloom again in the warmer, easier seasons.

Prayer: Father, please guide me through the stage of my life I am currently in. Help me to embrace this season and continue to grow as your child and a believer. Amen