For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1
“Within the grip of winter, it is almost impossible to imagine the spring,” writes John O’Donohue in his book To Bless the Space Between Us. “Yet beneath the surface of winter,” the poet continues, “the miracle of spring is already in preparation; the cold is relenting; seeds are wakening up . . . From the black heart of winter a miraculous, breathing plenitude of color emerges.”
We find this to be true with our spiritual lives as well. Each new season of the year, says Christine Valters Paintner, offers a threshold – “a doorway into a new way of being, a new season of life, and a new invitation” (pg 69). So it is with our spiritual lives – we will no doubt go through times when our spiritual lives are vibrant and full like summer. But there will also be times of feeling lost and far from God – times of winter. Paintner calls these times of “liminality” – dwelling on the threshold in a state of unknowing and ambiguity.
Just as spring follows winter and summer follows spring, we are invited to remember seasons when our spiritual lives felt empty and then to recall when they bloomed again with God’s fullness. We trust that each season of the year will show forth at its appointed time; likewise we can be assured that each season of our spiritual lives will open to us to guide us on our spiritual journeys. We are wise if we look for what each season has to teach us.
For your reflection:
Thinking of each season of the year, what words and memories do you associate with each?
What season are you in spiritually just now?
– Do you have a sense of getting ready to blossom like spring?
– Are you feeling full and fruitful like summer? Is God calling you to act on something out of your blessings?
– What things in your life need to be let go of? Where do you need to return to your essence?
– How will you savor the solitude and bareness of winter this year?
What is your favorite season, and what life lessons can you learn from it?
What seasons are difficult for you? Even so, what can you learn from them?
Just as we have to live with what each season of the year offers us, what are you having to accept in your life-season just now?
The Wisdom Years 