A boy in my kindergarten class was answering questions for the teacher for a quarterly progress report. By mid-year the kids are supposed to know the days of the week the months of the year, seasons, etc.
When asked what the seasons were he answered, "Basketball, football, soccer and hockey." I guess we know what the emphasis is at his house!
My favorite season is fall -- I love crisp cool air and falling leaves. My kids love summer so they can be outside for hours each day. We all have our favorite season of the year.
But not many of us, when asked our favorite season, would answer death or mourning or killing.
They may not be our favorites, but they are some of the seasons of life. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is a season for everything under heaven. Many of you know it better from the song, "Turn, Turn, Turn."
Even though God is a good God and loves us, there will still be unpleasant seasons in our lives. People will get sick and die. Relationships will fall apart. Wars and natural disasters will occur. And God will be there for us through every season.
I would be happy to live where the seasons call for temperatures to top out at 75 degrees. However, I have a coworker who would like it to never get colder than 75. Lately I've been giving her a hard time about wanting some snow days. She just tells me to bite my tongue!
Just as we have to survive and even thrive in weather we don't like, we have to do the same spiritually through all the seasons of life. We can't do it well, though, without the forecast for eternal life through Christ's blood, the umbrella of God's love, the watertight boots of His Word and a sturdy raincoat of Christian brothers and sisters.
We prepare for the weather most days by watching the forecast, whether we put faith in it or not, and getting out the umbrella, the sunscreen or the snow boots to battle the elements. Why then, wouldn't we put even more planning into spiritually preparing for the seasons of life. Study of God's Word, prayer, fellowship, worship -- to guard against the elements of the world.
As you meditate on the Word this week, pray that what you study will fortify you for this season.