It’s been a minute since I’ve written! We moved to Georgia, our daughter, Eliana, got engaged, our son, Thomas, left for college, and Dave and I started teaching exclusively online. Whew. Lots of changes. 
While our changes – though monumental – are good, I know many of you are dealing with changes that aren’t so good. Many have faced incredible hardships over the last few months – there has been so much pain, so much arguing, so much hurt.
I remember, way back when my children were little, my mother-in-law told me that time in my life was a “season”. I didn’t really get it, then…maybe because I was so exhausted! Or because I was living in a place that didn’t really have seasons 😉 But I get it now.
I live in north Georgia, where fall has just begun. The leaves are changing, temperatures are dropping, and pumpkin spiced lattes are brewing. It’s wonderful. I love fall! I love wearing sweaters and boots, having my windows open, smelling fires burning from neighbor’s fireplaces and backyard fire pits.
But I know that, after fall, comes winter. I do not love winter. I’m a Florida girl, so anything below 50 degrees is arctic to me. Having to wear a coat, gloves, and scarf just to go for a walk is not fun.
But (remind me of this in February!) that season will pass. I don’t live in Narnia, so I won’t have to live in winter indefinitely. It’ll get warm again, turn to spring, then summer, then back to fall!
What my mother-in-law was trying to tell me, way back when, was that the season of raising small children would eventually pass. And, while it was almost impossible to believe then, I know it now! We have an empty nest! It’s bittersweet. Even when I was exhausted, I still loved having kids at home. But I also love having grown-up kids – they are so great! I love the more relaxed time at home Dave and I can enjoy. I love finding new hobbies (hiking and kayaking!) and taking a shower whenever I feel like it and only having to run the dishwasher a couple times a week.
What I’ve learned about seasons, though, is that they pass. Sometimes a difficult season transitions to an easier one. Sometimes it’s the reverse. Sometimes, it’s location that changes, or relationships, or jobs. But, as the old song goes, “Change gonna come”.
Here’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned from the varying seasons of my life: If I focus on the season, I can get overwhelmed. I don’t know what’s coming. I don’t know if it’s about to get better or worse. I don’t know if I can handle it…!
What I need to focus on is the Creator of the seasons: God knows exactly what’s going on; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If I focus on Him, cling to the Rock, I can withstand whatever “weather” each new season brings me. I won’t be swayed, moved, or overpowered. When I remember “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world,” I can rest.
I don’t know what season you’re in right now, but I do know that, whatever it is, God is right there with you. He will help you through it, He will be your Rock, your Fortress, and your Deliverer.
