Changing of the Seasons

As one who is “change-averse,” I don’t like a lot of change and embracing it doesn’t come naturally to me.  I tend to see the negative side before taking time to come around to the positive side and the possibilities.

However, last year I learned a concept about change that completely changed the way I view it.

I learned about the seasons.

If we think about the four seasons in a year – winter, spring, summer and fall – we know they have one thing in common - they are all about change.

As winter comes to an end, the days get longer, the temperature goes up and the snow melts.  Spring begins, the trees and flowers come to life, and the grass starts to green up.  Summer brings longer days of sunshine, flowers, gardens and crops.  Fall brings a slowing down.  The plants and gardens come out, crops are harvested, and the trees shed their leaves to prepare for winter.  Winter brings snow, cold temperatures, and less daylight.

Every season brings change, and the seasons are consistent; they happen every year whether we want them to or not.  It is a cycle of change.

Change is just as natural as the seasons and each season is temporary.  For example, winter doesn’t last forever.  It will end.  Grasping this concept completely changed how I view change. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…”

When change happens in my life, I now view it as a season.  Taking this perspective took all the internal resistance away and helped me accept changes easily.  For example, my company welcomed a new CEO last year.  It was time for a new season with a new leader.  In 2022, I bid farewell to a trusted partnership.  The season for that relationship had run its course and that was perfectly okay.  Gone was the internal wrestling; in its place was acceptance and understanding.

In our lives, if we view change as a season, it helps us to understand that change is natural and consistent; it is going to happen and there is a “…time for everything…”  Each season doesn’t last forever; more change will come and by seeing change as a season it is easier to accept and easier to flow with.  It leads to understanding.

As you look back on your life, what seasons do you recognize?

Does thinking about change as a season help you accept it more readily?

Recommended Resources

-          The Stories We Tell by Joanna Gaines from the TLC show “Fixer Upper”; she shares some of her personal experiences, covering topics such as pain and empathy, being present, seasons, and life as pieces of a puzzle.

-          Article by Sheri – “4 Great Ways To Adapt To the Seasons of Life” – https://www.purposefulhabits.com/adapt-to-the-seasons-of-life/

Monthly Challenge

-          On a piece of paper draw four large squares and mark them (Winter – Jan. to Mar., Spring – April to June, Summer – July to September, Fall – October to December).  Using your memory and a calendar (personal and/or work) review the prior year listing the changes you experienced on your paper.  How many changes did you discover?  How did you manage the changes?