Seasons of Change

Last night as the snow was falling, I started to think about shoveling it the next day.  That is not something I like to think about, but that was not always the case.  Growing up in Arkansas, I saw snow maybe once or twice in my life.  When I moved to New England, my eyes were opened to a whole new world of white, fluffy, cold snow.  I remember my first major snow storm in New England.  It snowed 15 inches.  I remember walking out in it and sinking up to my knee!  I could not help, but laugh.  I had never seen so much snow in my life.  Now, almost seven years later, the allure has worn off.  I hate going out and shoveling the snow. 
So, last night as I was thinking about shoveling the dreaded white stuff, my mind shifted to thinking about the beauty that snow brings to God's creation.  Winter is so cold and harsh, but when the snow falls, it brings with it a calming peace.  It also brings beauty and perfection.  Sometimes I don't want to move any of the new fallen snow because it is so beautiful and perfect.  There are no seams or cracks.  It lays on the ground in a perfect covering of white. 
Then I began to think about the seasons and how they can teach us some spiritual truths.  When fall comes, fall brings a beautiful array of colors.  But, these colors do not come without a price.  The leaves change colors because they are in the process of dying.  This may seem morbid, but there is beauty in this death just like there is beauty in the death to our old sinful selves.  We need to die to our selves so that we may be united with Christ in his beautiful death on the cross brings us the forgiveness of our sins through his blood.  That forgiveness of sins through his shed blood led me to think of the snow that winter brings.  Snow is so perfectly white (before all the cars start splashing mud and other things onto it) and that is how God sees us through the shed blood of Christ.  Isaiah 1:18 says, "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."  This is the beauty of the shed blood of Jesus.  If we believe in him and embrace him as our Savior, God washes our sins away and sees us like snow, perfectly white.  This led me to spring.  Spring brings new life.  It is time for new leaves to replace the old ones.  It is time for new buds to spring up.  It is time for a new creation to replace the old through Jesus Christ.  II Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away, behold the new has come."  Notice how Paul says the old has "passed away."  The old leaves and buds pass away during the fall.  Our old selves died in the fall of man; our new selves are raised with Christ a new creation.  Romans 5:17 says, "For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ."  Finally, we get to summer.  Summer is a time to take a break from all of our hard work throughout the rest of the year.  Summer is all about relaxing and enjoying time with friends.  This what the new earth will be like.  We will be able to rest from the years of work that we put in on this earth.  A new earth will replace the old one and we will have one big party with God and all our brothers and sisters in Christ.   Revelation 21:4 says, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."