THE SEASONS OF LIFE
Every Spring we witness a miracle. The rains resurrect the grass from dull brown into vibrant green. Tiny daffodils poke their heads through the soil. Pear and apple blossom burst forth. Within days, the earth erupts with color. In Sonoma County, California, the first signs of Spring are just beginning to happen.
Our lives reflect the cycle of the seasons. In the springtime of life, our youth is marked by physical strength and beauty. Our summers are times of productivity. Then comes autumn. As our productivity wanes, a life well-lived reflects color to everyone who observes—orange, red, gold, and crimson. Winter follows, bringing death…or so it appears. Winter actually paves the way for a soon-to-come resurrection in springtime. The seeds of new life lie hidden beneath the dry grass. Trees store sap, which will produce new foliage. All of nature points to a resurrection of life, following death.
Scripture speaks of our lives as being like grass. First Peter 1:24-25 declares, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” There’s great beauty in this. We weren’t designed to live forever in this current world. We blink our eyes, and it’s over, like morning fog (James 4:14.)
Losing Linda at the relatively young age of sixty-eight, is forcing me to look at life from angles I’ve never seriously considered. Life is brief; life is fragile; and life has purpose. For His followers, eternal life begins now, followed by everlasting joy—more wonderful than we could imagine (Revelation 21 & 22). Rather than pouring our lives into something that vanishes so quickly, perhaps we should invest ourselves in serving Jesus.
God gives us this picture from nature so we won’t become too comfortable in this world, and settle in. He creates dissatisfaction with this life, and a longing for eternity, causing us to seek him. The brevity of life is God’s reminder that he didn’t intend for us to live forever in this world. In nature we witness a picture of our resurrection—new life emerging from the old. There’s a day coming when our bodies will simply give out, making way for new bodies that are imperishable, glorious, and powerful (1 Corinthians 15:42-43.). A beautiful picture of eternal springtime.
Principle: Nature shows us that life is brief, and a resurrection follows.
Ponder:
As you observe the change in seasons, what causes you to reflect on life?
What season are you currently going through in life? What beauty and blessings can you find in this season?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study 1 Peter 1:22-25.
Prayer: Lord of Creation, thank you for the reminders you place in nature to help us remember that life is brief, and for giving us a glimpse of our resurrection.