Seasons Change.

This change of season from the warmth of the fall to the cold grey of winter is difficult for me to embrace. For some of you, it is still the middle of autumn, and the colors have only just begun to fall. Here in Alberta, temps at night regularly drop below freezing. The final yellow leaves have turned brown and rest on the ground, waiting for a snowy blanket. Last week, I talked a little about becoming too comfortable. This love of comfort puts an aversion in me to the discomfort of change. I see this resistance to change as emblematic of a wider problem in my life.

Don't get me wrong - there are a lot of things I do enjoy about winter. I love skiing, I love the pure white that renders all things clean & beautiful. But I've also found that winter here in the mountains pushes me to my limits. I lust after the warm summer nights, when the rock warms your fingers instead of freezing them. I miss the easy comfort of the sun on your skin, as if in a warm hug. I am desperately avoiding the chill temperatures and refuse to accept that these times are ended. I cannot accept it - I run to my comforts & bad habits to numb out what God has given me to accept.

It is winter's cold snow that brings life to these mountains & valleys in the spring. If the cold did not come, this ecosystem would burn up in dry heat year round as it does all summer. It is uncomfortable, but God's blessing is in & for every season. The more I try to hold on to what was comfortable before, the less I am present in this new season, always looking backward instead of forward. As scripture says, we are to give thanks and pray at all times. So I hope I can learn to accept this season, with all its changes, so I can accept the other seasons in my life the Lord brings.