Seasons

On a beautiful summer morning like this, it is hard to remember the raging winter storms of years past. The lightning, thunder, drenching rain, gale-force winds, and biting cold seem distant and almost unimaginable. The treacherous driving conditions of blinding snow and black ice are lost in the glaring sunshine of the warm and glorious day! It's a season of peace...
Thank God for these times of refreshing and rest, for calmness and contentment. These are long, lazy days filled with good books, gentle breezes, sunbathing & cool drinks. They are filled with vacations, shopping, lunches with friends, and long walks. They are my season to regroup, rejuvenate, & revive my spirit and I take full advantage of them. I know that winter is coming.
Before many months have passed, rain will start. The amazing colors of Fall will turn to the barrenness of winter. Trees that are filled with fruit and lush green leaves will take on a skeletal form. The temperature will drop and heavy coats & boots will replace shorts & sandals.  The long days will shorten and the nights will grow long. Even during the day, the clouds will obscure the sun and the grayness will dominate. It's not something I want to think about right now, and yet I know it's coming.
Our walk with the Lord is so much like these seasons. There are times when all is right with our world. The cares and worries decrease as we experience seasons of peace and contentment. There are no serious storms to derail our faith or envelope us in fear. We coast along in His love, basking in the warmth of fellowship, refreshment, and relative ease. Then the storms come. A parent gets sick, finances fail, relationships end, illness attacks, a loved one passes away...there are so many things that can cause darkness to fall on us. We cower in uncertainty & cry out for relief. Where is God? Why am I having to deal with this? What do I do?  As the song says, "We are all just one phone call from our knees." And, ironically, that's where God wants us. Circumstances cause us to withdraw from Him or run to Him. We choose how to respond, basing that choice on one of several things:  our past experiences, our feelings, or God's promises. 
If we base our decisions on our own feelings or experiences, our trust is in ourselves. We become our own god and the outcome of that choice is disaster.  Our past is interpreted by a variety of factors and can't be trusted. Our feelings are unreliable and ever-changing. Neither of these will guarantee our success or safety. Only God's promises, found in His Word, are able to be trusted to shelter, guide, encourage, protect, and make all grace abound to us.(2 Co. 9:8) Our hope is in believing that His plan will be accomplished for our Good! (Jer. 29:11/ Ro. 8:28)
In my reading in Psalms this morning, there were two exhortations to take shelter under His wings. Like the story of the mother bird that stayed put through the fire, losing her own life in order to protect her nest, Jesus "stayed put" on the cross, although He could have chosen not to, in order to provide life for us - and not just existence, but abundant life (Jo 10:10). 
We all have our storms. The Bible doesn't say "If you walk through the water...if you walk through the fire."  It says "WHEN". The choice we make is who we will trust when the storms come! So, take a moment today to check your spirit.  Thank God if you're in a season of rest and refreshing, and take shelter under His wings if you're in a storm...He is always there with you, no matter what season you are in!!