Seasons

This is my favorite time of year. As I sweat through the hot days of July, I begin to look for the small changes that tell me Fall is coming. One morning will be just a tad bit cooler than the one before and the angle of the sun's rays lengthen afternoon shadows ever so slightly. I count the days past the summer solstice and realize that we are one-third of the way to the first day of Autumn.

I have wondered why this time of year is my most cherished. Is it the cooler air, the colors of the trees, the invigorating wind, the last harvest from the garden? Could it be anticipation of the coming holidays and birthdays? Is it the return to a school routine?

I think the reason I cherish this season is because it reminds me to rest and to draw close those that I love. It brings my focus back to the center of life--to the One Who created me and Who blesses me with all good things. It reminds me that everything has a season to live and everything dies. As surely as new leaves unfurl in Springtime, old leaves wither and fall to the earth.

I remember that this life is brief, that my time to bear fruit for the Kingdom of God is but a season and that this body I inhabit will also whither and die. Just as I count the jars of preserves on my pantry shelves that capture and keep the goodness of the bounty of summer's harvest for the winter ahead, I long to look back on the year drawing to a close and be able to count the harvest of a season of working in the fields of the hearts of men. Did I employ my gifts and talents to reap an eternal harvest?

A friend once declared his family's motto to be: Life is short, Death is sure. Sin the curse, Christ the cure.

As the world around me prepares for the long night of winter, it reminds me of the longer night of eternity. Life is short. Just as my garden ceases to bear fruit once frost has set in, I will not be able to influence those around me in the grave. May I be fruitful while I yet live.