Hello my treasured friends. Happy new week. I am thrilled to be communicating with you and excited that we have begun a new season together. I hope your week so far has been a good one. I think we can all agree that change is inevitable and is continually happening in our lives; it happens whether we want it or not. I am a summer person by nature, but I can't stop the seasons from coming. Positive elements can be found in all seasons.
On September 23, 2023 Fall officially began for us in the Northern Hemisphere and spring has sprung in the Southern. These changes are a reality for all of us in the Northern Hemisphere due to the Autumnal equinox. Of course I had to look that phrase up :) Twice a year, day and night are about the same length in both hemispheres and is called an equinox, which comes from the Latin words "aequus" (equal) and "nox" (night). This occurs in March and September. For all countries of the world, the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. However, the sun also appears to move north for half of the year and south for the other half, depending on where you are in the world. This did not happen out of the blue, this progression has been coming for months and has been happening since the beginning of creation. If this isn't interesting enough, here is another added tidbit of information. When the sun sits directly above the equator and both hemispheres are said to get the same hours of daylight and night, reality is, Earth actually gets more minutes of light than darkness. Thank you Space.com. Can we just sit with that for a moment...I think some of you might know where I am going with this, I just had to throw in a little Astronomy trivia. Let's proceed.
It says in Genesis 1:1-31
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day...
...14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
God's sense of humor never ceases to amaze me. It can be seen in so many ways, if we are looking for it. Wouldn't it make sense that the creator of the universe would remind us every year continually for thousands of years, that the light was good. The light will forever exceed and conquer darkness, if even by just a minute or two. The darkness was the lesser light. God is the perfect keeper of time and his time is eternally and continually perfect. Never early, never late. God is never in a hurry, and always on time. He is working all things together for his greater good.
Once again, it says in Genesis 1:15
And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.
Light and darkness have been used throughout time as a metaphor pertaining to good and evil / God and Satan. If we circle back to the beginning of this post, I touched on the subject of change and it's continuum in our lives. Is it possible God gave us four season to help us understand the subject of change and how to deal with it and prepare for it?! Something to think about. I actually just thought about that as I was writing this post, hum... Just because we are going through change, doesn't mean it has to be negative or dark. Many times it is how you look at change. Do we embrace and welcome change and the growth it will bring, or do we bolt, and run for our lives; viewing it as a negative thing?! As we refer back to the ordained way God designed and created light and it's dominion it has over darkness, we can draw comfort as we are going through dark or challenging times in our lives. We must also be reminded that good times don't last forever, but neither does the tough times; they are only for a season as seen in verse 14 in Genesis chapter 1.
God created the universe and all that is in it. Being reminded that the creator has his ultimate plan can give us comfort, which is why we have the Holy Bible and his Holy Spirit for interpretation. God has provided this Book Of Life, by breathing inspiration into the ones who gathered the information from him and for him, then wrapping it up in The Holy Bible. God is merciful and gracious. He would never create us, then provide nothing for us to turn to as we do life. He gives us stories and scriptures to help us navigate through it all. There is much to learn as we read our bibles. God loves us so much that we can turn to his word and all that is in it to find comfort and answers through the good times and the not so good times. Daily prayer, time spent with The Lord, praise, and gratitude is a perfect pairing as we digest his word. It reminds me of a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Perfect in every way, which is another good attribute as we glide into a new season. When we do this combination of actions, we are showing God he is in control, as we submit our Smorgasbord lives to him.
(This pic was taken on a hike in Montana 2022, with one of my BFF"s and her lovely girls)
Change also helps us to grow and keeps us from getting stagnate in our lives. It teaches us that it is profoundly important to stay close to him and his word through all seasons of life.
Here are some amazing scriptures pertaining to God's perfect timing, if you would like to read them:
2 Peter 3:8-9
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
As I come to a pause, I encourage all of us to embrace the season we are in with an open mind and heart. Ask God what he is trying to teach each of us and pray we be forever changed in a positive way from whatever he is trying to show us. If God can create the sun, moon, stars, universe, and all of the galaxies, he can surly help us through the season we are in. As it says in Genesis 1:2 the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. What a comfort we can experience, if we ourselves ask God to allow the spirt of God to hover over our lives and our loved ones. Being there for one another through different seasons in our lives is another important thing to keep in mind. Staying in communion with others and praying for them as they go through changes, is essential as well.
(Picture taken on our hike in Montana. I adore these amazing women :)
God bless you all and know you are frequently in my thoughts and prayers. Have a blessed and enjoyable week. Please feel free to pass this post on if you feel someone you know might enjoy it. You can find more by clicking on the menu at the top, or scrolling through my previous posts at the bottom. I am including the link to my site for easy navigation.
Big hugs to you all and God bless you as you embrace this new season.
Jen
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