We’ve made it to fall. A new season. The leaves are changing colors, the weather is getting cooler, and pumpkin everything is in every store everywhere. I enjoy the end of summer solely because I love fall so much. I happily trade T-shirts and flip flops for hoodies and scarves.

Wouldn’t it be nice if every season was our favorite season? If I lived in a place where it was perpetually fall, I wouldn’t have to deal with the heat of summer or the bone-chilling cold of winter. I could be comfortable all the time. But I often wonder if I would enjoy fall as much as I do if it weren’t for the heat and cold of the other seasons. Would I take the perfect weather and comfortable clothes for granted because I don’t know any different?

Like the seasons of the year, we all go through different seasons in our personal lives. What is your current season?

Are you a newlywed navigating life with a new partner?

Are you unemployed and struggling to pay your bills?

Are you a new mom soaking up every minute with your sweet newborn?

Are you starting a new school year virtually?

Have you just lost a loved one?

All of these scenarios are seasons we may or may not go through. Some are happy; some are sad. Some are hard and some breezy. The important thing to remember is that each season has a purpose. As the familiar verse of Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

Without the sad seasons, your happy seasons won’t be as happy; without the hard, you won’t notice when things feel easy. There is a reason for each of them. Sometimes God shows us their purpose right away, and sometimes it takes a while to see it clearly. In either case, He knows what is best and knows what you need when you need it. Trust in His timing, and enjoy each season.

Now, excuse me while I sit on my porch sipping my pumpkin spice latte in my hoodie and scarf watching the newly colored leaves fall. Does it get any better?

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.