When it's time to let go...

I remember as a little girl, running to catch the autumn leaves falling from the trees. It was my favorite time of year & my favorite thing to do!

I would gather all the leaves into a big pile, not to jump into them, but to fall back into them and then stare up at the sky.

There was something beautiful about falling…even though there was a hard ground underneath, the crunch of the different colored leaves always protected the impact & I would do it over and over again until I exhausted myself.

That’s when I would just lay in them & stare up into the abyss of bright blue that stretched overhead as far as I could see.

I would lay and think of the vastness God had created, I wondered how far it truly was to the top of the sky and if I rode in a plane or rocket ship, how long would it take to reach the throne of God?

I remember the smell of crispness in the air which the leaves seemed to always usher in, it filled my lungs with cooler air & I would immediately feel cozy inside.

There was just something about the season of fall that made all the other seasons worth living through.

While others feel closer to God during cool wintry days when blankets of white cover the ground and frost nips at your nose…

While others feel closer to God when the buds begin emerging from the ground on a warm spring day to bloom into radiant flowers and the bees begin to buzz after light showers…

While others feel closer to God when the sun is high in the sky & relief is found within the shade of a large oak tree or on a lake or an ocean with sand stretched for miles…

I always feel closer to God when the leaves change colors and the air turns colder…when Friday nights are spent by lights and early mornings are spent on the porch with a blanket and a coffee and Jesus.

Those are my moments.

And the thing is, everyone has their own special moments with how they spend time with Jesus. I can spend time with Him in the snow, in the spring rains and on the beach during the summer.

And I DO spend time with Him during those seasons. Because each season has a purpose with God. Physically. And spiritually.

Some seasons are for stillness and quietness. To listen and to learn. To hunker down deep and find nourishment from our roots. Like winter.

Some seasons are meant for new beginnings. For refreshment and new growth. To shake off the heaviness of the season before and look forward to the season at hand. Like Spring.

Some seasons are meant to feel the heat. For action and not stillness. To put forth movement to the plans we made in the quiet times. Like summer.

Then some seasons are meant for change. For readjusting and recalibrating our priorities. To let go of the things that have grown in previous seasons which have since became dead and bare no more nourishment to our lives. Some seasons are like Autumn.

And it’s okay to embrace the season we’re in. Even if you don’t like that particular season, it doesn’t mean it’s not needed. And it doesn’t mean you can’t look forward to the seasons ahead.