Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 18 UCW JULY 26 - AUGUST 1, 2023 FAITH God is faithful, and the cycle of the seasons signifies that God will pre- serve and redeem His created order. Genesis 8:22 reads, "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." (KJV) is verse is part of the covenant or promise God made with Noah after the flood and a reminder of His faithfulness each day and every season in our lives. One definition of the word season tells us that it is the period of the year that is distinguished by special climate conditions that come, go and reoccur in a year. In the Gregorian calendar, four seasons are generally recognized in temperate and sub- polar regions. God, not science or scientists, divided the year into the cadence of spring, summer, autumn and winter. "To everything, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven," states Ecclesiastes 3:1. In eloquently penning this verse, King Solomon, the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes, expressed his commen- tary on the ebb and flow of human lives. His words spoke not only to the people of his time but speak relevantly to our lives today. Continu- ing, he elaborated on the season we all face: ere is "a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down, and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh." (AMP) Another meaning of the quoted scripture has to do with the chang- ing seasons of our lives. Each season or stage of life teaches us something new about ourselves, others and life in general. Research tells us that four personal seasons of life exist like the four we have in nature. Orchestrated by God for a purpose, these periods develop our personalities and lay the groundwork for the lives we will lead in the future. Moving through each spiritual season builds our faith and brings us closer to the Lord. •Spring is the time in your life from birth to mid-twenties, a time of hope, new beginnings and opportunities. •Summer represents the transition from adolescence to adulthood. A time to celebrate the meaning of life which brings growth. ere is a need for protection from the abundance of distractions that plague life during this time. •Fall is the time of your life when you slow down or retire. More time is available to mentor others in this season. •Winter can be a season of true wisdom or a time of sadness and despair. Some of these seasons of humanity may last for a lifetime or for a short time. Seek the Lord to know the sea- son and the reason for your various relationships; when to start, when to continue, and when to let go. We are in the summer, the warmest time of the year, with longer days and more opportunities to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. I enjoy walk- ing early in the morning or riding my bike in my neighborhood for exercise. Seeing and interacting with my neighbors as they walk or ride their bikes is always a pleasure. I love watching outdoor sports, attending barbecues, picnics, having fun at the beach, and sitting on my porch en- joying the helicopters flying over our house. I also enjoy watching the bees go from flower to flower while sitting on my porch. I genuinely love the array of beauti- ful blooming flowers and trees in my yard and the tomatoes and green peppers growing in our raised garden beds. I am not particularly fond of pulling out the weeds in the beds. ese weeds compete with plants for water, nutrients, sunshine, and space. Spiritual weeds in our lives are sim- ilar to those in flower and vegetable gardens. We don't always recognize them as weeds. ey grow so quickly and choke the life out of what we want to flourish. Spiritual weeds can flourish by watching too much television, spend- ing too much time on the phone, social media, and news media. Other prominent weeds include pride, envy, greed, lying, yielding to tempta- tions, unforgiveness, and associating with people that are pulling us away from the Lord. We strengthen our walk with God by reading and applying the Word to our lives, and praying daily. God is not seasonal. Both Malachi 3:6 and Hebrew 13:8 declare that God is always the same and never ever changes. He is always good, always loving, always all-powerful. No mat- ter how this world changes around us, we can trust God who is always consistent. Nothing is too large for Him to han- dle or too minute for Him to notice. He is omniscient. He sees and knows all the details of our lives — our wor- ries, struggles, victories, frustrations and conflicts. We can trust Him to lead and guide us to all truth. We may never under- stand why God allows things to hap- pen in different seasons of our lives. We can know that He is in control, and there is a set season for every- thing by His purpose for our lives. Your life is important to God. "And let us not be weary in well do- ing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not." (Galatians 6:9). Editor's note: A version of this article appears in the July issue of Women's View Magazine. Trusting in God through the seasons of change by MURIEL BROOKS Christian music station local your Each season of our life can teach us something about ourselves and others if we rely on God. MURIEL BROOKS, Contributor. Comments? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200.