the illusion of a season

Here in Virginia we are approaching the middle of summer.  We have had a classic mix of intense heat, humidity and thunder showers over the past few weeks and the days have settled into expectations of similar weather.   The trees are clothed in mature green leaves and the water of the local pond is warm and characterized by life, as fish jump to break the surface and herons guard the perimeter.  One day seems like the next and there is no hint that summer will ever be replaced by fall or winter.  In the middle of a season the changes that move us from one season to the next are not obvious.  Many of us recall when we were in the summer of our lives.  In those days we were full of vitality and lacking in wisdom.  We could not picture a time when we would not be young, despite the older generations who shared our lives.  When we were in the middle of that season we could not see the coming of autumn to our days.   The illusion of a season is the mask it wears to cover the changes that inexorably nudge us on to the next season.  The freedom of a season allows us to enjoy the benefits of summer without being preoccupied with concerns for the cold of winter.  As we have now moved through many cycles of the seasons we have learned to enjoy the summer despite the certainty of winter.  It is unfortunate for people who cling to this life like the young do to summer.  Just as summer will ultimately be transformed into a very different season, so our lives will move from the summer of the natural existence to a new season in the eternal dimension.  Each day may seem the same as the previous one, but change is always on the way.

Ecclesiastes 3:¹ To everything there is a season,

      A time for every purpose under heaven:
       ² A time to be born,
And a time to die;
      A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;