[Seasons: IV]
Seasons are powerful.
They dictate to us the activities we do, the clothes we wear, the foods we eat (at least they did at one time), and often how we feel (Seasonal Affective Disorder is a thing, you know).
Eating cantaloupe in shorts and flip flops is a summer activity. Drinking warm tea by the fire after the sun sets at 5pm happens only in the winter. Each of those activities are not isolated one-off experiences. They are part of an entire seasonal matrix of holidays, job demands, and recreational activities. They are also part of a seasonal fabric of sensations, memories, and emotions that are associated with specific times of year.
The same can be said for the spiritual life. Some of our spiritual journey is “constructed” with the nails and lumber of intentionality and discipline, but much of it happens to us, from a seasonal force far beyond our meager attempts at building.
Autumn, winter, spring, and summer are spiritual seasons that can be no less influenced than wearing board shorts wards off an impending snow storm. Instead of fighting the seasonal nature of the spiritual life, we would be better served to know and attend to our needs, prepare and dress appropriately, and surround ourselves with others that do the same.
Spiritual seasons are powerful, and I’d like to look closely at each in the next couple weeks.
