Spring break is upon us. How good does that sound? It is like music to my ears! Today's blog will be mostly just a conglomeration of my thoughts about the epic times when the seasons change. So without further ado, I will throw a few thoughts out, and get you out of here!
I've always loved the changing seasons. I enjoy fall the most of all the seasons for its serene, dramatic dance towards death. The leaves turn magnificent colors, and the weather ushers in colder, refreshing air that is a small taste of what is to come. Then comes winter; while I like winter, it is not a season of change. Yes, there is beautiful snow, and holidays, and the "winter wonderland" idea, but it just has a habit of overstaying its welcome. Shorten winter by a month and it would be oh, so much better. Following the death of winter comes the beautiful spring time. I like to think of spring as a rebirth. Glorious colors, plants and trees and all of the wildlife suddenly spring into action in an astounding demonstration where all things are being made new. Finally, as spring wears on, summer slowly steals the spotlight. Summer takes over everything, and while I love the things that can be done in summer, like winter, I feel it overstays its welcome. Once you get near the end of summer you are just tired of the heat, and welcome fall with open arms. Then the cycle begins again. And again. And again.
Everything in life is cyclical: our habits, our relationships, our moods, our traditions, these things all have periods of growth, expansion, decline, and finally death or dormancy. This is unavoidable. The thing we must keep in mind, is that even though winter is extremely long, spring is coming. There is a light at the end of the frozen tunnel! So have faith, dear friends, in the coming of spring, in the arrival of summer, in the broken beauty of fall, and in the lows of winter.
Keep looking forward.
-Dave
So everything in life is cyclical? That statement by itself lends itself to a rather hopeless reality. If everything really just repeats itself, if everything has an ebb and flow and nothing remains constant, why should I strive for any form of ideal? Even if I manage to attain said ideal, the cycles of life will inevitably steal it away from me. Therein lies the death of hope.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, your conclusion is one filled with hope: Spring is coming! Do you take heart and find hope in the temporary nature of life? Or is spring more metaphorical to you? Tell me, good sir, from whence does your hope spring!? I eagerly desire to know, my friend. :)
I think it all depends on your outlook on life. Admittedly while saying "everything is cyclical", I am simplifying life to the most basic sum of its parts. However, even though you could draw a hopeless conclusion from that idea, I find it to be something hopeful: nothing is static except for change. Now I do operate under a particular belief that at some point my cyclical life will end, and an eternal one will begin. Maybe that is why I'm able to draw such hopeful conclusions. If you haven't read ecclesiastes, I recommend doing so. The theme is that life, and all aspects of life is, and are meaningless. The entire book revolves around that until the final few lines. At which point, the writer reminds us that while life is meaningless in so many ways, God is constant. In the face of an ever changing world God is the same. That should give us hope. I hope I've answered your question, friend.
ReplyDelete-Dave
Its a good starting point, Dave. But I was hoping you would go further than that. There really is quite a lot of hope to be found in life, provided one has the right lens through which to look. I know you personally (can you guess who I am?), and I know you have a rock solid faith, a great perspective, and an impressive intellect. Did you approach this query so cautiously because you did not know with whom you were speaking? Or in an effort to not offend anyone? Or perhaps, that is the answer you wanted to give, and I am not being fair in hoping for more. So, my friend, given the opportunity to change your answer knowing what you now know about with whom you are talking, would you change your answer or stay the same? Either way is quite alright. Honestly, this blog posting gives me an excellent opportunity to pick your brain anonymously; I can't pass the opportunity up!
ReplyDeleteI hope your spring break is going well, David!
Dear friend, it is flattering that you think I could possibly answer any better than I already have. Further? I don't know what you mean at all! Comme pour deviner qui vous êtes Je me tournai vers un traducteur pour tester je pense. If you really were intending to be anonymous you wouldn't have used the same wording with which you speak to me almost everyday. And to answer your question, this is not the right medium to delve into the deeper questions of life. I hope your break goes well too!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
-Dave
stupid translator doesn't make sense hahaha hope you got the point anyway.
ReplyDeleteValiant effort my friend, but I do not speak french. At least, I assume that your phrase meant some form of identification... You are right, the translator didn't make much sense at all! So, I suppose you will have to keep thinking as to who I am.
ReplyDeleteTo respond to my original query, I fully agree with you that there is quite a lot of hope to be found in the cyclical nature of life. But, that hope is only found through Christ. You see, (now this is all just opinion) without Christ, we are all trapped in a downward spiraling cycle. Each thing we chase leads us deeper and deeper into sin. Therein, there is no hope. Yet with Christ, we go through the same cycles in life (seasons, jobs, people, etc), but it is at the same time 100% different. Christ literally changes everything. That of course assumes that our lives are built around him being alive, though. (If you pay particularly close attention, that lyric is a hint as to who I am...). So, the seasons of change are a good thing for the Christian: Romans 5:1-5 my man! The cycles of life allow me to say with hope through faith: "Yeah, this sucks right now. But God will bring me through it. And what is more, God, and I through Christ, wins in the end."
Looking forward to seeing you again soon. :)