Embracing Change in Life Seasons: A Journey of Acceptance

Are you someone who doesn't enjoy autumn? Do rainy days make you feel down as you wait for the sun to brighten your day? Maybe it's because you haven't yet discovered the advantages of the autumn season. Today's blog post explores the possibilities and benefits of autumn and how you can thrive and make the most of the "rainy seasons" in life. 

Picture a wheat field ready to be harvested and gathered for grain. If someone from ancient times were transported to witness modern technology and harvesting methods, they would likely feel threatened by the sight and sound of the process. A combine harvester working in a field to harvest wheat would appear daunting to someone unaccustomed to seeing large machinery or hearing the loud noise it generates. 

For those unfamiliar with change and endings, the conclusion of seasons or relationships may seem tragic. On the other hand, individuals who are accustomed to pioneering are experienced in adapting to and embracing change, despite the pain it may cause.

Regardless of whether you consider yourself a trailblazer, it's beneficial to reflect on the past year and season, and welcome the spiritual autumn. Autumn is a time for harvesting and storing fruits for future use. The previous season of your life, with its mix of positives and negatives, has resulted in fruits within relationships, gained experience and wisdom, and developed endurance and patience. 

Spiritual autumn is a time in life when temporary things fade away, and we mourn these losses. Healing takes time, and accepting these losses is a crucial part of healing. Reflecting on the past year or season, what losses have you experienced that are challenging to accept? 

While we cannot control the seasons of life, wise individuals understand how to make the most of each one. A gardener recently taught me that during autumn, it's beneficial to leave leaves and branches in gardens and parks, creating piles of them. The earth gains nutrients from the decaying natural materials. Additionally, these decomposing materials provide shelter for various wildlife and insects. The decomposition process offers numerous advantages and is an integral part of the natural cycle. 

Similarly, when individuals experience a period of multiple losses, attempting to control challenging situations merely postpones the development of character and the ability to handle life's challenges gracefully. 

What have you been attempting to control and manipulate instead of accepting the loss? Your dissatisfaction might be keeping you trapped in pain, leading you into a winter season filled with freezing pain, fears, and various painful memories. Whatever becomes frozen tends to resurface unexpectedly, bringing fear and intense pain. 

Rather than falling into a spiritual winter or becoming trapped in the dissatisfaction of continually battling challenges, you can choose to embrace the autumn season and grow from it. You can decide to mourn losses for as long as necessary, process changes, give yourself time to view current difficulties from different perspectives, and accept the changes beyond your control. 

Personally, I have gained significant experience in embracing the "autumn seasons" of life, and I will share one such experience. Two years ago, a colleague from Poland named Magda led a creative workshop for a worship team. During the workshop, we reflected on a Bible verse and prayed while crafting with clay. As I shaped a heart into the form of a leaf, I was processing some inner pain. For a month following the workshop, I continued to grieve until I reached a point where I was ready to release the grief and sadness over a certain situation. I even held a "burial ceremony" for the heart-shaped leaf by throwing it into a river. This was my way of letting go of sadness and negative feelings about the situation, allowing me to forgive, repent, and move on. The ceremony introduced a fresh feeling of freedom from pain.

As you participate in prayer and scripture reading today, you can start your personal journey of accepting a loss that might occur during a creative or contemplative prayer. Give yourself the necessary time to grieve this loss, and in time, your thoughts, will, and emotions will be ready to embrace the change that will bring about something new and positive.

“The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” - Matthew 13:23 NLT