Finding God Faithful in Every Season

There is something magical about a snowy day. The glistening snowflakes gathering on the tree branches. The soft white blanket of snow covering the grass. Children glued to the windows, their eyes twinkling with eager expectation of the adventures they hope to experience that day.  

After the snow finishes falling, and I help bundle our kids up with their winter gear, I peek out of our dining room windows to see them building igloos: working together to create something they can all enjoy.  As they trudge through the snow, pulling their sleds back up the hill, they make eye contact with me to make sure I am watching to see their latest adventure. I mentally snap pictures in my mind, treasuring each moment, knowing that as fleeting as the Missouri snow is, their time at home with us as children enjoying snowy days will pass just as quickly. 

Reflecting on the beauty of this snowy day, makes me notice that without the colder temperatures of fall and winter, we might not appreciate the beauty and growth of the spring and summer. For my husband, every late fall and winter ushers in a season of mourning for him. He finds so much joy in cultivating a lush green yard. He researches all of the right techniques, fertilizers, and chemicals to cultivate the rich, deep green blades of grass. Thinking back to the spring, summer, and early fall, I can imagine how I can gaze out of the same dining room windows and watch as he loops back and forth across the yard on the mower. I can witness his stress literally draining away from his shoulders as he creates glossy stripes across the grass. (Side note: I had no idea that grass could actually look shiny and glossy, before my husband honed his lawn care skills.)  For my husband, lawn care is more than a necessity; it’s a work of creativity.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us that “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” The changing of each season brings the expectation of traditions that we look forward to, new beginnings, and bittersweet endings. If we aren’t intentional, the ever changing seasons will pass us by. A few days ago, I lamented to my husband that this season was especially challenging for our family. I listed off this season’s current challenges. Instead of joining in my lament, my wise husband asked me if there was ever a season in our fifteen years of marriage that we wouldn’t characterize as “challenging?” 

His question stopped me in my tracks. He was so right. For everything there is a season. Looking back over the Lord’s faithfulness throughout our marriage, I can see the challenges and celebrations that characterize each and every season. Instead of stressing over the challenges and mourning the endings we are experiencing in this season, I am resolving to intentionally seek out the celebrations that are yet to come. With eager eyes and a willing heart, I will wait expectantly for the ways the Lord will continue to show His faithfulness, trustworthiness, and creativity as He continues to write the story of our lives. 

Friend, whatever season you find yourself in, I want to encourage you to look back at the faithfulness of the Lord throughout the seasons of your life. Living for the Lord doesn’t mean a life free of challenges. Instead living for Jesus leads to purpose through the pain, joy in the struggle, and living from a place of peace that doesn’t make sense without Him. Recognizing and remembering His faithfulness keeps us focused on His truth instead of feeling weighed down from the stress we experience. Let’s join hearts together (socially distanced of course) and wait with hopeful expectation for the ways He will continue to work in our lives for His glory and our good. Let’s embrace the beauty of the snowy day today for the snowflakes will soon melt away. 

One of the Dace kids’ favorite parts of a snowy day is enjoying hot chocolate by the fireplace.