An Attitude of Gratitude, Day 23

Day 23, An Attitude of Gratitude

Dec 23, 2012

Today I am thankful for our seasons.

Sometimes that’s easier said than done. I’ve looked out the window with some trepidation at the snow these last few days and wondered about driving anywhere at all. However, I have been getting around, regardless!

Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter come and go each year just the way God originally designed, and though we have seen some changes in each season in the last several years, we can be reasonably sure of what to expect! I am so thankful for the cycles of change and the beauty we have the privilege of witnessing in the world around as as the seasons go by!

As much as I see order and design in the seasons of nature, I see order and design in another type of season….the seasons of life. Let’s see if I can explain what I see.

In the “Spring” of life, when we are young, all is fresh, new and exciting. There is an innocence and there are many joys to experience. There is play to enjoy! We have lots of questions! Responsibility is not yet ours and we can have fun! Someone else will do all the worrying! Let’s play!

In the “Summer”, as we mature and blossom, we play some more, laugh and learn and grow in a pretty carefree way. Skies are blue and grass is green. The weather is great! We broaden both our horizons and our relationships with people around us. We assume some major responsibilities and yet we are faced with so much choice! We feel untouchable in so many ways and we feel we have a long way to go. We enjoy the long, full days!

In the “Fall”, however, we gain some maturity and perspective as we look back at the past and face the future ahead. We have made some mistakes and learned a lot, but there is still so much to learn. We meet with some clouds and some bad weather, even a storm or two.  The days are growing shorter. The sorrow of losses may begin to touch us, but the joy of gains  also bring us much pleasure and there is still much to look forward to in life. There is the still the richness and colour of the fall to enjoy.

In the “Winter” of life, now knowing and understanding that life is so much shorter than we ever could have imagined, and at times chillingly cold and lonely, because of loss, we finally come to terms with things, especially our own mortality. We experience challenges and difficulties as health deteriorates. We get both our affairs and our priorities in order. Wrinkles come, but with them comes wisdom and we get to experience all of the riches of maturity. We learn to treasure and appreciate every moment, every relationship, every opportunity while we have them. Life is precious! We know we must enjoy it to the fullest!

In thinking all this over tonight, I see all these seasons of life as valuable opportunities. Opportunities to seek God, to find Him and to get to know Him, the Creator of all life and all of life’s rhythms. I think of a verse in Acts, which I will share with you here, in closing.

““God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is  Lord of heaven and earth,  does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He  gives to all life, breath, and all things.

And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and  the boundaries of their dwellings,  so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him,  though He is not far from each one of us;  for  in Him we live and move and have our being,  as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ ” (Acts 17:24-28 NKJV)

Thank You, God, for ALL of our seasons! May I appreciate every one of them as a gift!

❤ ❤ ❤