I love the seasons. Each one has something so special about it, we get a chance to look at the year in a cycle of death and life, again and again. Now I know that sounds a bit emo and might make you bust out the eyeliner, but it’s a beautiful cycle that we experience and can see God in the midst of these cycles. Dear Danielle and I bought a house in December, which was not only terrifying and exciting, but we were able to move in while the beginning of the winter season crept in. I love winter, the cold, cozy atmosphere is perfect for some tea and comics. With winter, there wasn’t a lot of growth around our house, there were plenty of bare trees and bushes making it easy to begin the updates on the inside of our home.
Now as the season has moved to spring, we are discovering a whole new world of fresh growth and life in our yard. Flowers bursting through the ground, bright green leaves exploding all over our trees, and birds singing their song while zooming around our yard; it is amazing, and I think it’s a picture of how God moves us through seasons to help our lives burst with fresh growth.
John 15 is one of my favorite passages in the bible, verses 1-17 show us the importance of staying connected to the Father so that we can produce life. Verse 5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Jesus uses the picture of a plant, showing us that when we are connected to the source, we bear fruit in our lives and can be a beautiful and important piece in creation, and when we are not connected, we break off and miss out on what could have been. This passage is humbling, how often do I myself try to go about life on my own and disconnected from the very thing that gave me life at the start? Now, you might be more spiritual than me and be judging me right now, but I would push back on that, scripture tells us that we all fall short (Romans 3:23), we all do this, but the key is getting back to the source of life.
I get to work with young people, some who have been walking with God since they were a kid, and some who haven’t even made the jump yet but want to know more. I always press into both people with a question of, what has God been teaching you when you read His word? We can get caught up in theology or see the insane “pastors” on TikTok and view God through that lens, when the truth is, God revels His true nature through scripture. This is the vine Jesus talks about, the Bible is the way to know God and be connected.
Reading God’s word allows us to bear and produce good fruit that is contagious to everyone around us.
Sometimes faith is just that simple.
We like to complicate things that boil down to reading God’s word and letting that be the source of what brings you life.
Now, here’s where I connect this all together, I like to throw paint at the canvas and then make the picture.
Our journey of reading the bible and growing in our faith looks a lot like the seasons. Spring brings forth the new life, everything is new and amazing. We step into summer where we have to be consistent in watering and maintaining what came forth. Fall is a chance for us to harvest and reap what our efforts have sown. Winter is a time of old things to die off, things we don’t need must be let go of.
No matter where you are on the journey, let your new energy and fire of faith be like Spring, dive deep, take it all in. In the summer lulls, don’t give up on what you began, maintain it. In the fall seasons record the ways God has allowed your efforts and focus to reap a harvest of plenty, giving to everyone around you. In the winter, the slower and difficult seasons, see the death of old habits, bad relationships, and negative ways of thinking so that you can prepare for new life that is coming soon.
Your spiritual journey might align with the seasons of the weather, or it may be a more figurative aligning, in any case, remember to stay connected. It’s just that simple, read the Word and love people. The goal of faith is not to bottle up the life in you, but to spill out into the people around you. We are called to multiply, so get out there and love while you grow.
It’s what God has created you to do.
-Joshua
About the Author: Joshua Thomas is a writer by day and superhero by night. When he’s not writing and crimefighting, you can find him reading a good book, sipping warm tea, taking pictures, or dreaming. The young writer doesn’t fully know what he’s doing, but is enjoying the journey of it all. You can follow his hipster photos and Jack Kerouac musings on Instagram @joshua_thomas__
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