From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that He is near, at the very gates.
-Matthew 24:32-33
There’s one thing for sure Montanans understand and that’s seasons. There are a lot of wonderful and challenging aspects when living somewhere that can swing to such extremes. We can hit one-hundred plus degrees in the summer only to swing to negative forty in the winter. The seasons here are unmistakable making them very recognisable. These distinctions also play out in the amount of daylight. In the summer it can still be light way past 10 P.M., while in the dead of winter darkness approaches in the afternoon.
There is an understanding that no one knows the day or time of our Lord’s return, but when we look around us, we can see things that point to the drawing near of His coming. It is similar to not needing to know the specific date to know that we are in the middle of winter. I recognise the season without being bogged down to a specific date.
But is there an equally important principle we can draw for here?
What about seasons in our personal lives? Is every day, every week, even every year the same in a physical, emotional or spiritual sense? Or are we in a constant state of transition? And if we are, do we recognize those seasons? Which should lead us to self-examination and the question, what can we learn from these divisions?
The Book of Ecclesiastes speaks of seasons. It is wrapped around the three key words, a time to… a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
There is an immeasurable value when we decide to live within the season God has placed us in. The value is realized by allowing the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us through all these times, especially the contrasting ones of good and bad, growth and hardship, the mountaintop and the valley floor. Sometimes we are in a season where it feels like God barely speaks to us. At other times, He is speaking so much we can barely keep up. Sometimes we are celebrating new births, not just children, but also new opportunities the Lord is granting us. Other times, we are in mourning because we have lost a loved one, a relationship, an unrealized dream or a time to move on.
We must understand the efficiency of God. He orchestrates the seasons in our life and never misses an opportunity to draw us closer to Himself in order to make us more like Christ.
The changing of the seasons is something we tend to look forward to. As much as we like the summer months, we are ready for the cooler temperatures and colorful expression of fall. When winter starts to take its toll, spring is right around the corner. No matter what season you are going through right now, expect a change. A change that will grow your faith and your relationship with Christ, if you allow it and embrace it.
Jason Metz, lead Pastor
