Between wet and dry seasons—or autumn, winter, spring and summer, depending where you are in the world—we witness a change in the skies and throughout creation. There could be more sunshine, rain falling or flowers blooming, giving us more time to play outside, more puddles to splash in and more bouquets to give our mothers.
As the weather shifts and a new season approaches, I am reminded of the ways God is present in the changes that happen throughout our lives. Sometimes we get caught up in our day-to-day routines and become oblivious to the ways the Spirit is moving around and through us, guiding us as life changes.
Isaiah 43:19 (CEB) says, “Look! I’m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it? I’m making a way in the desert, paths in the wilderness.”
When we feel we have reached a dead end or a road block, or have gotten lost in the wilderness, God may be challenging us to try something new. Sometimes it helps to have a conversation with a friend, to take a walk around the neighborhood, or to be intentional about making time for personal reflection and prayer.
May we remember that even in a desert where there may seem to be no way out, God is making a way for us and calling us to embrace it.
Questions for continued reflection
- Has there been a recent change in your life?
- How was God present in that change?
- How do you attune yourself to the movement of the Spirit?
Prayer
“Thank you Creator God for the artistic changes of the seasons, for the beauty of your fascinating and ever changing creation! Come dear autumn, bathe our senses with your beauty and lay living nature gently to sleep in the arms of winter. There all may rest to be restored in the blazing beauty of spring!” — Norman Shawchuck