Living in the season

As I sit here this morning looking out the window at what remains of our snowfall, I find myself longing for spring. I am sure that many of you are where I am right now... tired of the cold, tired of the snow, tired of the grayness that seems to cover your world.

I long to see the trees budding, the grass "greening up", the flowers in their beds preparing their show. Yet, I know that when spring arrives, I will long for summer, and with summer I will long for the colors of fall, and with fall I will be filled with anticipation for what winter will bring. This cycle, which repeats itself yearly, is like an old, comfortable pair of shoes.

Our relationships with Christ are a lot like that old pair of shoes... we go through the motions of changing from one season to the next, all snuggled down in our comfort zones, and just letting life wash over us, not necessarily happy with where we are, but unwilling to make a change. Oh, we might long for the next season to get here, but when it does, it is just like the season before, and the one before that.

How can we take that longing for a new season and turn it into something more? More importantly, how can we learn to live in the season we are in, and fully appreciate it? Sometimes our seasons are filled with pain, sometimes they are filled with joy, but whatever the season, Christ is there beside us, sharing what we are feeling. How can we learn to live in that moment, and fully appreciate what is right in front of us, giving Glory to God in all things at all times?

More praise... less grumbling ... more looking up... less looking in ... more of God... less of me. Sounds easy enough, but this can be one of the hardest tasks you will ever undertake! Today, I am asking God to help me take off that old pair of shoes, and help me to learn to live my seeing Him in every moment. Feel like joining in? Kick off those shoes and wiggle those toes... and get out of that comfort zone!