Swift transitions… This is what I’ve learned most about life. Life happens swiftly and without notice. Over the years I’ve learned to be more aware of my life transitions and more in tune with how the world communicates them to me. More importantly, where does life communicate with me best? Nature has become that place. Nature is where I get the answers to my deepest life questions. Each season in the natural sense represents a part of my life spiritually. I believe that each tree, plant, and windsong is God’s way of speaking to me. I get my best rest and greatest piece of mind when I am within this space. The cold winter nights, the warm spring evenings, the beaming summer heat, and the crisp autumn air always put me in a place of balance and peace.
Nature has always been my saving grace. The winter months bring self-reflection. I think back over the choices that I made and reflect on how those choices are currently impacting my life. I turn inward and experience a spiritual hibernation. I remove myself from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and retreat to my quiet place. I allow myself to sit still and be quiet. The sun sets earlier and so do I. I become a sponge and soak up as much wisdom as humanly possible and pray to God for healing, restoration, and wholeness. I become selfish during the winter months. I pray for wholeness and wellness- mentally, physically, and spiritually. I listen for God’s still voice to reveal my purpose for the next season of my life. That purpose brings me new life as I begin to plan for my next…
The spring season allows me to evaluate my new goals and how my life is changing. Springtime represents newness, growth, and change. It represents a spiritual rebirth for me. I learn new things about myself and shift my perspective about old things. I become a new creature. What I learned during my hibernation period becomes the change agent for my spring season. My focus on my inner self shifts to my outer. As I think about a tree’s growth process, I can’t help but compare it to myself. The results of the process that the tree goes through internally will manifest itself externally. During the winter, trees usually go through a process of brokenness, loss, and sometimes even death. But in the spring, their life cycle is renewed. They grow new leaves on strengthened branches. Their new leaves grow to be stronger and richer in color. The branches become full as the tree develops whole and well. The trees become new creatures because they allow their old selves to die. The trees endure the difficulty of the winter so that they can enjoy the rebirth of the spring. I endure the darkness and the bitterness of the winter so that I can enjoy the brightness and the warmth of the spring. My old behaviors and habits have washed away and the new me awakens and lives.
The sun begins to shine down on me as I embrace the abundance of light that flows through my body; that radiates through my soul. I fully awaken. My transition into the summer season does that to me. My growth cycle continues as I redefine more parts of me. The best version of myself is birthed and brought forth. Where darkness was the focal point of my winter, light became the focal point of my summer. I find my light and let it shine as bright as I can. I light paths for others to follow. God lights the path for me to follow. Light follows me wherever I go. Vibrant and radiant become my daily mantra. I am vibrant. I am radiant. I repeat this daily to remind myself of how far I have come. I celebrate my accomplishments. I celebrate the achievement of the goals I set at the offset of winter. I celebrate who I have become. I celebrate my completion. Just as the sun completes its growth cycle, so do I. I look up toward the sky and thank God for the mental, physical, and spiritual connection that has been completed within me.
This connection is what carries me into my autumn season. This is when my connection is the strongest. Change is most apparent during this season of my life. The physical representation of change is most visible with the changes in leaf colors, changes in weather, and changes in temperament. Just as I begin to fully live in who I have become, God calls me to shift back within. Transitioning into the autumn season requires me to reflect on the work that took place during the previous seasons and acknowledge what I gained. In the literal, autumn represents a time to harvest the crops that were planted during the summer. Spiritually, autumn represents a time to harvest the rewards of the seeds I planted during the summer months. From that harvest I look inward to reflect on how the harvest will impact my life. I prepare for the process to start over again as I swiftly transition back into my winter. What season are you in and how is it impacting the new you?
