The Seasons Always Change...

This week my parents took our 3 oldest children out to make gingerbread houses.  I was home with just my 1 and 2 year olds.  When we sat down to dinner that night, my husband remarked at how quiet our house was.  It was too quiet.  It felt empty.

But then we remembered...this was our life just a few years ago.  We had two small children and were expecting our third and life felt like it couldn't be busier.  Our house seemed loud and chaotic, and we were always chasing after one of them.

But now, having just the two littlest ones home, it felt completely different.  Our house felt peaceful.

So what changed?  Our 1 and 2 year olds are just as full of energy as their brother and sister.  Is it because we are older?  Do we have more patience now?  Maybe it's a little of both.  I think it's all about perspective.

Sometimes in the moment, we are so overwhelmed by life we can't see beyond our circumstances.

But life goes on.  The seasons always change and these moments don't last forever.

I was thinking about all those cold winters in my life.  All those moments when we wondered how we would make it through.  We held onto our faith.  We held onto God's promise that He will never leave us.  And spring always came around again.

Sometimes it takes years for us to be able to look back and be thankful for those moments.  But as hard as they were, now I can say that I am a better person because of them.

I want to encourage you today, in whatever season you are in.  Through loss and grief, job changes and financial struggles...through pain and sickness, disappointments and rejection, through all the things in your day that overwhelm you...God will never leave you.  Never.

It's hard to see Him there in the moment.  It's hard to feel Him when our hearts are hurting, but we can't see the big picture.

It's like all those dry, dead looking bulbs hidden under the snow,the winter passes, the sun shines again, and their true beauty can bloom.