God's Roadmap

Now may the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father God, who loved us and in his wonderful grace gave us eternal comfort and a beautiful hope that cannot fail, encourage your hearts and inspire you with strength to always do and speak what is good and beautiful in his eyes (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 TPT).


Saturday, May 1, 2021

Earthly Seasons Teach Us How to Withstand the Challenges of Life


 by Barbara Latta

After a cold winter, spring has arrived in full force. New growth, beautiful blooms, and warm weather invite people to get outside and soak up some sunshine.

Last week, Ken and I stumbled upon two festivals where the landscape was decorated with a rainbow of color as acres and acres of ground was covered in tulips.

The creativity of God showed out.

Other than tropical and arctic climates, the world endures changing seasons, and each range has a purpose.

Earthly seasons can teach us how to withstand the challenges of life. We go through transitions, but they don’t always bring circumstances we like. But when we learn to lean on our Creator as the gardener of our soul, we can learn from these seasons when we follow His directions for nourishing the soil of our hearts.

 

SPRING

Spring bursts with freshness and new growth. Bulbs like tulips and daffodils raise their tender heads through the soil. Trees sprout young leaves and grow longer branches. But Spring also can form frequent thunderstorms and hard rain beats the blooms to the ground.

In our spiritual development, we may be enjoying fresh vision from scripture, the beginning of a Bible study, or discipling a baby Christian. When the thrill of new spiritual adventures wanes, threats form like thunderclouds and we can feel beat up like the crushed petals.

After storms flowers soak up the moisture and perk back up. When we face the wind of despair after a spiritual victory, this is when we should refuse to give up. If we continue to soak up living water into our souls, we will not be crushed.

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair (2 Corinthians 4:8 NKJV).

 

SUMMER

Summer brings rising temperatures. The spring shoots are gone, but summer blooms abound with color.


Plants such as lantana and marigolds can resist the hotter weather. As the months pass, the summer flowers that are able to survive the sun’s blaze begin to fade. We can get weary of daily watering and the beauty we enjoyed at the beginning of the season no longer brings joy.

Our summer season can be daily routines. The opportunities we enjoyed in our spring season grew to full bloom. We enjoyed the next step we took, but the temptation to become accustomed to the spiritual garden that sprouted can sneak in like weeds. Day to day lifestyle becomes dry, and boredom beats us down like the hot summer sun attacks plants.

This is when we should remember that our Father is faithful, and we need to keep our eyes on the prize of following Him. The Holy Spirit continues to work through the ordinary.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9).


AUTUMN 

Autumn is a time of transition as the plants wither and fade, the trees stop producing chlorophyll. This causes the leaves to die, change color, and fall to the ground. But the dead leaves transform into beautiful colors that we enjoy. We would like to hold on to this beauty, but because the plants are dead, they must be released or new germination will not occur in the spring.

We can become so attached to accomplishments or places of knowledge with God that we want to stay where it is comfortable. We don’t want to let go of what is familiar. But to expand and receive new levels of inspiration, we must follow the Creator’s leading and release the previous cycle we enjoyed. We can’t go forward if we hold on to the present.

This is the time to step out in faith and obey the Lord’s leading for a direction we may not have been before.

Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare: Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes (Isaiah 54:2).


WINTER 

Winter is a time where everything looks empty. The trees are bare, and the flowers have disappeared. But despite appearances, the forest is not dead. Inside the trees, the next harvest is asleep waiting for nature’s call to wake up and sprout again.

This could be the time we feel the Spirit is silent. We pray, study, and read but feel empty. But our time is not wasted or dead.

As we remain faithful to feed our souls with the holy Word no matter what emotions tell us, the Spirit inside us stirs to bring new discovery when the time is right.

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).


As Titus 2 women, we have all experienced these different seasons in our spiritual journey. When our soul is nourished by the seed of God’s Word, we will grow an abundant bouquet that provides joy and beauty to the generations who come after us. We can leave a legacy of blooms.

What revelation have you gained from the seasons of your life? Share your thoughts.


Earthly seasons can teach us about the challenges of life(click to tweet)

When our soul is nourished by the seed of God’s Word, wewill grow an abundant bouquet that provides joy and beauty to the generationswho come after us (click to tweet)

 

 

 

14 comments:

  1. Barbara, I enjoyed how you connected our spiritual seasons with yearly cycles. It can feel like whatever season we're in will last forever, but seasons change!

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    1. Yes, Debbie, and aren't we glad those seasons don't last forever. Even the good seasons can be detrimental because we could live in successes and be tempted to think we did it under our own power. Thanks for stopping by and sharing. Blessings!

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  2. I love the lessons we learn from nature. Your message is beautifully expressed and so skillfully weaves wisdom and images that we feel we are right there with you in the seasons. You are right on target as to how I feel in the different seasons of life. Thank you for brightening my day.

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    1. Our seasons of life can bring different feelings as we travel through them. Thanks for sharing, Katherine. I'm glad your day was brightened. Blessings!

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  3. You're always teaching Ms. Barbara; I think because you're always learning. I love how you are "tuned in" and open to the leading of the Holy Spirit ma'am. Thank you for this insightful and thought-invoking post.

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    1. J.D., I hope to always be learning. the more I learn, the more I find out I don't know! Thank you for sharing. Your comments are always so kind and encouraging. Blessings to you and Ms. Diane!

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  4. I really appreciate the spiritual lessons you've gleaned from our experiences of the 4 seasons! Thank you, Barbara!

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    1. Kathy, thank you for stopping by and sharing. Blessings!

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  5. I love that you talked about the seasons of our lives and about the different flowers that flourish in the different season. Each season has its good and bad points, but remembering God's Sovereignty always helps.

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    1. Joanna, isn't it wonderful how God has given us something good about each season as we endure those trials we would rather not go through? Thanks for sharing. Blessings!

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  6. Love this. I feel like I may be in some kind of transition...autumn like. We'll see.

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    1. Jeanne, I feel that one too. God used that verse in Isaiah about stretching out your stakes to encourage me to step out into unknown territory. I think all I have done so far is tiptoe. I have a lot more steps to take. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!

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  7. Well said, Barbara. And such appropriate Bible verses too. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you, Shirley, for taking the time to share. Blessings!

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