Our Seasons of Discontent

April 27, 2001
"Our Seasons of Discontent
By Mary Lou Martin

Our spiritual lives can be compared to seasons rotating through its cycles of growth and change. In the spring of our Christian walk, we feel happy, free and fresh with God's love and Spirit. Gathering in His memory we, the Christian sinners of this earth, are keenly aware of the sacrifice that Christ our Savior made for us. God speaks to us each day from His word adding depth to our faith. Our awaken souls long to embrace with gentle kindness, every grieving child we see or struggling mother. We yearn to reach out and touch the lives of the lost in a meaningful, soul-fulfilling way. Our faith is a budding flower nourished by the Holy Spirit. Our roots are watered with the blood of Jesus Christ.

Then, as the days grow longer, we work harder to please God. We work in the sun-filled summer warmth of the church. Our church families, also wanting to please the Master, are comrades in a heated battle against Satan's army. Adults work feverishly to afford teenagers the opportunities to experience helping people in need while accepting each other as brothers and sisters. We fellowship each other at times of worship, social gatherings and on weekend retreats. Our personal time becomes consumed with the striving to be all the Christian we know we can be. The days are hot and long; the fresh, relaxing spirit we once had begins to feel strained under the weight of our growth.

The autumn of this spiritual cycle has begun to sap our divine energy and our Christian attitudes wilt. A crisp, chilly breeze fills our souls as we notice our holy countenance portraying colors of stress. Children are returning to school, and their extra curricular activities consume our time. Of course, we continue to schedule church involvement because we know that for the children and us, our spiritual development is so important. Although, the more we keep going to church added to all of the activities, the cooler our attitudes get toward church. We must persevere, though, because it is expected of us. Soon we aren't reading the Bible for lack of time. Our minds become filled with questions covering our faith with a blanket of shaded doubts. "Is God really in control of my life?" "Why does God allow us to fall again and again into sin?" "Where is the freedom we have been promised." "What if we just quit for a while? Can we do that?" "What Would Jesus Do?" Our secret desire is to shed the leaves of religious commitment.

Winter can be very cold without the warmth of the Son shining on our souls. A depressed faith begins to search for something by which to light the flame again. A faith once on fire for the Lord is dying into ash. We go to church to worship God, but instead find our minds aching for an escape. We crave freedom from our gray existence. As we drift away from the Son's warmth, we're tempted to drink life's enticements. The Lord reaches out to us, but instead we pull away toward a false freedom. Satan has an enticing charm that makes us believe we are free when we are really slaves to our own desires. Peppering our language with words never uttered before, we laugh, drink, and gamble on our faith. It's exciting for a season, but soon we begin to feel the winter chill that comes with guilt.

Then, we notice a small ember of faith buried under the snow-covered doubt begin to glow. God is offering us a way to return to Him. We can break free from the Deceiver's soul-freezing trance by drawing closer to the Son.

Finally, completing the cycle, spring returns and tears fall like rain on a contrite heart and we are rejuvenated. Our dormant faith is once again awakened, just as Jesus' dead body was awakened from death. No matter how many times our faith may cycle through its seasons, God will always welcome us back. Seasons will come and go, but the Lord will remain the same today, yesterday and always.

"'I the Lord do not change. … Return to me, and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty." (Malachi 3:6)