Sunday, October 14, 2012

Seasons of The Soul


I snap pictures as if trying to capture all of autumn before the colors fade into winter's dark. The wind is rising and tawny leaves make a light crunching noise as they seem to chase each other across the road. I have an affection for autumn. Behind the sharp click of the shutter I wonder why some trees are still burning red and some have not one leaf left clinging, while other trees don't appear that hard frosts have fazed them.

In a recent conversation with a friend I heard in her voice a woman speaking from a cold hard place. Even though the weather is warm and leaves are still falling from the tree in her front yard, the season of her soul is winter. This mommy with constant demand of little ones. Small hands that challenge her from sun up to sun down. The beautiful dark skinned children they brought home from across the ocean came with little secrets and hidden shards of glass that only God can reveal or heal. The blustery winter season that seems to have no end like a long dark tunnel all full of the unknown.

The chill of loneliness matched with emotions of being overlooked and misunderstood lay any soul out bare. Oh I remember autumn seasons in my life that turned to winter in one moment, one phone call or one hard day. Days when sweet music felt like fingers on the chalkboard or vinegar poured over soda on my soul. Even as the nights stay dark longer now I try to encourage my friend that each season will be followed by another.

Hard seasons of adversity often produces the most fruit. It makes no sense that a howling winter season of the soul could produce more fruit than gentle breezes and sunny days. But it most often does. 

I speak to her that what she is doing is weighty and that she is important and God has not forgotten her even though the hands on her clock don't seem to be moving. 

Seasons are marked out by days and the moon risings, but the God who created it all is timeless and we are just time-worn while we wait. 
 

Seasons of the soul aren't as much about time as they are about us.  Just the word has a sense of bringing something to sweetness and maturity. And the eternal Father loves us too much to leave us where we are.


  














As we stumble through days, it's important that we understand our afflictions are never wasted. We have limited perspective. Spring, summer, fall and winter each have purpose and beauty and bear fruit expressed in different ways. The Word everlasting says that 'we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.' So we seek God and give Him thanks for seasons of burning bright and of clinging and being unfazed because what we do with today may be the fruit that we harvest tomorrow.


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2 comments:

cairncottage said...
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cairncottage said...

Hi, Rhonda! This is my first time visiting your blog. Nice to meet you. Lovely pictures!! I agree that this time of year is very colorful and pretty, while winter is dark and colorless...similar to the contrasting seasons of our lives. Have a blessed day!(I wanted to let you know that I almost didn't get this comment sent. It asked for me to type in a code and kept rejecting it. Others may be having trouble posting comments)

In His Lo♥e, Ann @ Christ in the Clouds (http://christintheclouds.blogspot.com/)

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