Bridging the Gap Presents…
Monthly Feature

September 2007

Fall approaches.  The weather is turning cooler.  School is back in session.  Soon the leaves will change colors and fall to the ground.  Growing up in Texas, fall was a welcome relief to the heat of summer.  In Texas the grass and flowers would be wilted and dead unless you had consistently watered them all summer.  Our grass would usually be green in February and March but brown by June.  Obviously, we did not focus any time and energy on our yard – one reason we love living in a condo now.  Whenever fall approached, it was exciting.  It was a breath of fresh air.

Living in Minnesota brings a different meaning to fall.  Even though it’s exciting to pull out the clothes for cooler weather, there is a dread.  Winter is right behind fall.  It is fast approaching.  Winter never ends in Minnesota (at least for people who grew up in the South)!  Whenever it is hot, my oldest daughter says she wishes it were cold.  When it is cold, she wishes it were warm.  My husband likes to say that I have a five degree range for optimal temperature comfort.  Unfortunately, he’s right.  Well, maybe a ten degree range...It’s not just me though.  I’ve heard several other people comment on how it is hard to enjoy fall since winter is just around the corner.

As we struggle to deal with seasonal changes in weather, how do we manage to accept the seasonal changes in life? 

Our lives are full of changes, or seasons.  Sometimes we are completely in sync with God, feeling extremely close to Him.  At other times we feel so far away that we can doubt our relationship with Him and even doubt in His reality.  Some days it seems as if nothing can go wrong while on other days our world seems to collapse.

Just as animals spend time preparing for the winter, we need to prepare for the “winters” in our lives.  We need to be ready for the hard times.  We don’t always know when some event will blindside us. We also need to be diligent so that we don’t drift or slip away slowly.

How can we be prepared?  Here are just a few tips:

• Steady prayer life
• Consistent time in God’s Word
• Fellowship with other believers
• Serving God in the way He designed us

I may not be a huge fan of the freezing, deathly-cold winters, but I have found some joy in them.  I can appreciate the sparkle of snow, the fun of building a snow blob (an attempt of a snowman), or watching my kids climb mountains of snow.  I also know how to survive the winters – lots of layers, a good heater, and hot chocolate. 

In the midst of our seasons of life, remember to find the joy in all of them and be prepared – the next season is just around the corner.

-AW