Have you ever had a word or thought pop out at you, constantly tugging at your pant leg or swirling around your eyes like a gnat in summer?

For whatever the reason, and I am taking the time to personally explore why, the word “season” has crept into my mental lexicon the past week or so.

According to Dictionary.com, consider the following definitions of the word “season” in its noun form:

• One of the four periods of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), beginning astronomically at an equinox or solstice, but geographically at different dates in different climates.
• A period of the year characterized by particular conditions of weather, temperature, etc.: the rainy season.
• A period of the year when something is best or available: the oyster season.
• A period of the year marked by certain conditions, activities, etc.: baseball season.
• A period of the year immediately before and after a special holiday or occasion: the Christmas season.
• A period with reference to the total number of games to be played by a team: a 162-game season.
• A period with reference to the won-lost record of a team after it has completed its schedule: a .700 season.
• Any period or time: in the season of my youth.
• A suitable, proper, fitting, or right time: This is not the season for frivolity.

In a recent post I described how the winter continues its grip on much of the country and simply does not want to yield to spring.

Our region was teased with two, nearly 60° days earlier this week only to return to howling, biting winds and more of the northern intruder, under the guise of The Vortex.  Go figure!

No matter how much it may appear that winter won’t take a back seat to spring – it will.  It is a function of the calendar.

The cycle will continue with spring slipping into summer, summer tripping into fall, and fall tumbling full circle back into winter.

Suddenly, the words to “Do-Re-Mi” of Sound of Music fame are making music in my noggin – “Let’s start at the very beginning….”

Winter haters please put down your guns I am only citing the obvious and the inevitable!

We are told “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

“Season”, being defined as any period or time, is in the vision field of my binoculars for now.

We all have various seasons or periods of time in our lives serving as threads woven into our tapestry.  A few are listed below:

• Some of us have seasons where we simply don’t feel like making the effort to step toward the next thing in our lives – we may be weary.
• We experience seasons of happiness, sadness, despair, and elation – emotions tossed into the recipe, making their way into our mixing bowl.
• We may go through seasons of employment, job loss, and the in between.  If you are parked in The In Between, I’d suggest you explore this resource by Jeff Goins. 
• We know the joy of seasons of life and the heartache of seasons of death.
• How can we forget (I am sure some of you would like to!) the baseball, football, basketball, hockey, or hunting seasons?
• As parents, some of us know the seasons of giving birth to children, raising them, and watching them leave the nest – all the time wondering where the time has gone.
• In the natural world we go through seasons of planting and seasons of harvest (think apple pie!)
• There are seasons of silence and seasons of having our say; there are seasons of dancing and seasons of grieving – all part of this game we call Life.
• There are seasons to keep something (be it physical or not) and a season to throw things away (as in securing a dumpster to clean up the clutter given we are in spring cleaning season!)  
• There are seasons when we get a call that equates to an anvil being lifted off our chest, like good friends of mine received today and shared with me as I wrote this post.

One of the great things about seasons is simply this – they come and they go. 

Whether it is in the natural order of things or phases of our life, seasons are characterized by their passing nature.  As in “not permanent”.

That alone should give us hope.  A hope that is eternal.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us…” (Romans 5:3-5 NLT)

Be thankful for the present season you may be experiencing.  Even if it is painful, it is most likely is a step toward a better date on the calendar.

We may not know what tomorrow will toss our way.  We do know this, it will come and it will eventually go.

Whatever season you may find yourself steeped in, the page is about to turn and another part of your story is about to be written.

By the way, spring is almost here!  Seasons change.  The question is,  will you?

Can you recall some seasons in your life,  either good or not so good,  for which you can express thankfulness?

Photo Credit – Brittany Castillejo