It's my birthday.

Not just any birthday either, it's my 50th birthday! I didn't want to have my birthday lunch sitting at my desk so I went to the park. It's a crisp, but comfortable day, so I opened the windows of my car to let the breeze come through while the sun warmed my face.

It was then I noticed the trees with large gnarled limbs and a few leaves scattered among the branches. I wondered how much life had occurred under their peaceful gaze. Children playing in the summer shade, squirrels gathering their fruit for winter and birds building nests and raising families in the shelter they provided.

Seasons of life are all around us. The trees are now without their leaves so that the sun can shine through to warm me. When I return this summer they will be bustling with life to provide shade and shelter. Dressed for each season of life.

I too feel the effects of the seasons of my life. The spring and summer are behind me now and I look forward to this fall before entering my winter years. It is a time when the leaves of my youth are less plentiful, but other things fill their place. There comes a peace in knowing the value of life and the companionship of friends and memories. There is the opportunity to share the experience of my years and the comfort found in understanding what I see ahead in the winter of my days.

There are seasons in the Christian's life as well. I am seeing the fruit of my years in service. I get to watch children I have taught, now grown, teach children of their own about the Lord. There is a familiarity with the Word that I did not have as a youth. The weight of the cross I bear seems lighter with the edges smoothed through the years.

Seasons of life - find peace in what each has to offer.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1