There are a few things I miss about living in California (although I’ll deny that if you ever ask me in person). I miss driving with the top down on my convertible, nearly anytime of the year. I miss being so close to two major league baseball stadiums. I miss the amazing, authentic Mexican food! However, the list of things I do not miss far surpasses: the traffic, the smog, the noise, the high cost of rent. And on top of the list? The weather. That’s right, the very thing that draws most people to California is exactly what I am glad to leave behind. It’s warm, hot, or hotter. While people in the Midwest were complaining of the cold, I was living in California dreaming of snow or a real life thunder storm.

You see, I love the four seasons. I love the change from one to another. Tired of the sweltering summer sun? Snow will fly soon enough!  I love how they each have something unique to offer. Winter brings the first snow fall, hot chocolate, and of course Christmas. Spring offers new life, green leaves, and the smell of fresh rain and turned up dirt. Summer offers sunshine, flip flops, and pedicures! And then there is fall… my favorite season of them all.  Fall is the time of reaping that which was sown in the spring. Fall means football and the World Series. Fall brings colorful leaves, crisp cool nights, and pumpkin spice.

What’s your favorite season and why?

There are seasons in life too. Seasons of great promise and growth similar to spring. There are seasons of sunshine and seasons of storms. There are times to sow and times to reap the harvest. And there are winters… times of bleak, dark, cold days spent waiting for the sun to shine. What season of life are you currently experiencing? What does God have for you during this season? In seasons of plenty or want, of growth or pruning, of sowing or reaping, of joy or despair, God remains faithful through them all.

The church has seasons too. The season of Advent is upon us. A season of waiting – sometimes with anticipation and hope, sometimes wondering if the wait will ever end. Like a child wondering  if Christmas morning will ever come, waiting is difficult. But next week we’ll discuss why it is so important and even necessary.