Fellowship Fridays

This post was written by Rachel, missionary wife in Estonia.  I had the privilege of meeting her and her family last summer.  She is as sweet as she appears on her blog.  I am blessed to call her my friend.  Please visit Rachel over at her blog, Rachel's Reflections.  I know you'll enjoy it!

 Seasons

Spring has finally arrived!  Do you enjoy the changing of the seasons?  I sure do.  Well, except for winter changing to spring.  This is my very least favorite time of year in Estonia.  After a cold winter with lots of snow,  I long for sunshine, warmth, green grass, leaves on the trees, and birds singing.  But the in-between stage is just not a beautiful season.  The snow that once so beautifully covered the city gets dirty and melts away.  As the snow melts, it leaves the ground slushy and soggy.  Once the snow is gone, it reveals dead brown grass, ugly dry weeds, and trash. YUCK!

However, as I was talking with my kids the other day, I shared with them an important lesson that I have thought about a lot lately. The truth is that whether I like it or not, every step in the changing of the seasons is necessary.  We will never enjoy the colors, smells, sounds, and warmth of summer if we do not first have spring.  Although I wish I could skip the season I do not enjoy, it's just not possible.  The same is true in our lives.  Every stage in life has a purpose.  I find myself wanting to skip the lessons and circumstances that I do not enjoy.  Sometimes God uses our least favorite season to prepare us for the next season of our life.  It is at that point that we must look for the beauty in the season in which we find ourselves. 

So while I am currently in my least favorite season, I do absolutely LOVE getting more and more daylight.  It just "brightens my day" (pun intended {smile}).  

Daylight at 8:30 p.m.  is so enjoyable when just a few months earlier a blanket of darkness covered the city by 4:00 p.m.

The exciting part is that we continue to gain daylight each day.  So as I wait for all the joys of summer to arrive, I'll be thankful for the extra light that brightens my day.

What can you be thankful for even during an unpleasant season of life?