Seasons.

While you may experience the pleasantries of a post-card worthy winter wonderland , or the dew-stained blossoms of spring, or the long-awaited pool side dwellings of summer, or the awe that the changing foliage of fall brings, I on the other hand encounter… “not-so bad” summer, “on the brink of bearable” summer, and the “welcome to Hades” summer.

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Seasons can be a tricky thing when you’re talking to a girl from Florida. That’s why the phrase “it’s just a season” is so darn unsettling to me.  I know you mean well when you share this phrase with me, that the the present circumstances I find myself in can’t last forever but to someone who dwells in the land of eternal summer that somehow doesn’t bring along the comfort you desire it to.

I do believe there are “seasons” of hardship that we find ourselves in from time to time.  With it brings opportunities to grow and mature, to allow your spirit to stand strong, to put into practice all of the mantras of faith you’ve stored up for a rainy day (no pun intended). We all know from hind-sight that these seasons do not last forever, however in the midst of one of them, it is hard to see beyond the present.

One of the perks of being a South-Floridian (believe me there is a definite distinction between So Flo and the rest of the state) is that you learn to take notice of the subtlety of seasons changing. And I do mean subtlety. It may be as slight as the thermostat reading a few degrees cooler but a So-Flo dweller will notice and probably try and wear a scarf (only for the sake of fashion and not necessity).

Often if I’m only looking for the huge, life-altering shifts I am bound to miss out on the fullness of the season that the Lord currently has me in. One thing I’ve learned through the ever-changing seasons of my soul is that I am the only one that decides how I walk out of one and into the other.

There is beauty in every “season” if you choose to see it.