Happy Easter! Today’s message begins with scripture which eloquently introduces this week’s topic.
Where in the world is spring? If I had a dollar for every time I have heard someone (or myself for that matter) make this remark in March I could make a really fun and fancy purchase. Here in Nebraska this winter seemed to be dreary, darker, more frigid, and longer than most. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) was much more prevalent and profound than other winters as well. It’s so much more welcoming to think about embracing all the prospects of which spring represents: new chapters, budding opportunities, warmth, and the buzz of nature coming out of hibernation. But snow in Nebraska in April? Pass.
Just as we experience seasons in this world we also experience seasons in our life. The discomfort of any season prompts us to yearn for moving forward into the next, especially where our own personal achievements are concerned. I have a special habit (and by habit I mean genetics; a complete and utter organic predisposition for rushing head on through any experience even if that means I run directly into brick walls at a dead sprint because gosh darn it I am going to be the FIRST person to break my face on the brick wall!!) of pushing through to the next season before the previous season has ran its course.
Wouldn’t we laugh at a farmer who tries to plant in December? Would we rush a flower to bloom by prying back its petals? Once we pried them open would we expect to see the same beauty and luster a flower would hold if it had been able to open in its own timing? Do we expect there to be a full moon every 10 days? Would we walk the beach expecting high tide to occur four times a day?
Why, then, do we attempt to rush our own seasons even though we realize outside of ourselves everything happens in a predetermined and perfect cadence? In prematurely pushing forward, we fail to embrace the beauty of the lessons which are being imparted to us in those uncomfortable seasons. Neale Donald Walsch is well known for staking the claim “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” If we are rushing back to a place of comfort we are seeking shelter, safety, and security from something special-but-hard-but-gloriously-ugly-wrought-with-wild-magical-distraught-anxiety which can be deeply impacting if we are able to see the lesson in the experience. Why deny ourselves this growth by placing a higher value on what feels easy?
I don’t hold the answers to the questions I pose, but I do see the value in slowing things down, embracing where I currently am, opening my eyes to an awareness of the situation’s purpose, and holding eternal gratitude for the seasons of discomfort. Thank you spring for missing the memo and taking your sweet ole time on arriving. While I seek meaning in all the seasons, I promise to make an angel in the snow as I embrace winter (and the last season) for hanging around just a bit longer. Thanks for stopping by!
Peace & Love,
Janessa