Seasons are a sign that everything in nature is in a change...always moving from one point to another.

So I wonder why we resist change so much. It is for our benefit to change. Change means growth.

Take a look at nature. In the spring, a season of new birth...a moment to begin. In the summer, a season of growth...building deep roots and flourishing fruit. In the autumn, a time for harvest...to glean the bounty of growth. In the winter, it is a time of rest; of sleep, and unfortunately for some, death. But the spring returns...a season of birth...a moment to begin again.

So if nature accepts and embraces change, then why can't we? I am finding that I do not mind change. For me, it means I am growing. I can have that moment of spring to begin again. I cherish the summer for it means I am building deep roots of faith and flourishing fruit of the Spirit and in the summer heat, this can be a sacrifice. The autumn is my time to harvest...to glean the fields! And for me, winter is my time of rest. Look at the seasons of change in your life as an entire cycle, not just that one season. Some stay in the same season for a long time and that is okay. Know that there will be a change of season.

Seasons are change. Embracing the change...responding to the change, the season of life, will dictate how quickly or slowly the season changes. Have you learned what you needed in this season? Have you embraced the change?

I love the changing of the seasons...it is life.

I have struggled with my weight for many years. The last two years have been especially hard as I have gained over sixty pounds. I would try and eat better and exercise but would never stick with it or have much success. Until something clicked....I have watched the "Biggest Loser" for many seasons and nothing they said or did really helped me or motivated me to want to change. That is until last Thursday...they have a new trainer and it was something she said that spoke volumes to me.
She said we are motivated by two things...we are either motivated by fear or we are motivated by love, which is your motivation?
I realized that my entire life, I have been motivated by fear! How is this possible?!

As a Christian, fear is overcome by love. Jesus is love. Love overcomes fear. If I love Jesus and claim to be His follower, then the love of God is in me...following this rational thinking...therefore, I should be motivated by love for fear has been defeated by love. 

I have always struggled with God's grace and love given to me. For I have never seen anything in me that was worth His love and grace. But as I grow closer to Him, accepting His gift of love is becoming easier day by day. 

Now, with this revelation that I should have known all along, I am able to claim the power of His love! He is my motivation...love is my motivation...His love is my motivation. It hasn't been easy but I am now motivated by love and not fear.

Success is a long way off but I am only at the beginning and now that I have taken that first step into love and out of fear....success is achievable.

Good news is that in the last four days...I have already lost one pound!! Here I come success! Here I come motivated by love!

The power of water....
It changes our coastal shores with one wave at time, slowly eroding away each grain of sand. It has created grand canyons (pun intended) and magnificent rocky coasts. The power of water has created its own pathways to reach the oceans...mighty and great rivers; even small babbling brooks shape and form its own environment. You don't see the result of its power but it is there. For you, water is a source of life. We cannot live long without it. It cleanses us; it refreshes us; it cools us when hot and warms us when it is heated. It is our life source. Scientifically, most of our body mass is composed of water. It also cover three quarters of our planet. It is a powerful resource. 

For the Christian, the power of water runs deep. It connects us to God. It is our eternal life source. It gives us power in Christ. It is more than salvation...it is power connected to Christ that we share and have the ability to harness to defeat the enemy.And like the water that changes our landscape...it changes us.We have new life. 

Baptism is our connection...baptism is water...in this process we become connected to Christ. We die with Him, we are buried with Him, and we are resurrected with Him. We are new creations. 

And yet, I find many of us (myself, on occasion) do not harness the power of our new self in Christ. We do not harness His power...we limit His ability in our life...and it is our choice.

We need to take the time to talk with Him and give Him unlimited access to our life. We need to think upon that time the water gave us new life...recognize the great joy, the fullness of Him in our life, and the love He has for us needs to be projected outwards.

We need to allow Him to change us just as the waters change our environment...it is a slow and time-consuming process...but the results are beautiful. Harness the power of water....

The refining process of precious metals such as gold is a long, difficult, and expensive process.The heat for this process is extensive...temperatures to melt gold reach over 1945 degrees Fahrenheit. The reason for this process is to remove impurities and the purer the gold is, the more difficult will be the process of its refining.

So when God says He is refining us as pure gold, think of this process as the process of Him removing our impurities. And with some of us...this is a long and arduous process.

I know that being refined by fire is difficult, yet I am learning that as difficult this process is...He is making me purer, more precious, He is expressing His great love for me in this process. I am learning that the impurities I have in my life need to be refined and I may not like the process at the moment...I have never given up hope in Him or have I stopped believing.

This refining process is on-going in each of us and we all need to be loving and encouraging to one another. You never know when your difficult refining process will be able to help someone else being refined as well. Be open about the difficulties...be willing to share the struggles..for throughout this process, purity is being brought about. Purity that draws us closer to Him...that gives Him the glory, the honor, and the praise...that strengthens our faith and our relationship with Him and others.



6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
1 Peter 1:6-8

It is said you cannot repair broken pottery for it would not be as beautiful as when it was first crafted in the potter's hands...the Japanese disagree. They repair what was once broken and repair it with gold or silver lacquer making it even more beautiful and unique than before.

It is the same for us and our Father. He formed us with His hands, crafted us lovingly with patience, uniqueness, and beauty....in His image. 

Then, we become broken. Our lives we try to make our own...to do as we please...to be in control of our own destinies. Yet in this process, we become broken shards of pottery...shattered by our own sin, by the circumstances of life. We find that we are not beautiful. We are a pile of broken pottery with no hope of restoring our initial uniqueness and beauty. 

Some of us turn inward and continue the process of destroying ourselves. But some, we turn to the Master, our Potter, the One and Only who can mend the broken pieces.

Like the Japanese, He uses gold and silver to mend our broken pieces. And the process is difficult and hard on us...for us to be mended, we must be refined like the gold and silver...a long and difficult process! Yet, the end result is a piece that is more beautiful and unique because it was broken.

And sometimes, this process is on-going. For we have the tendency to want to tell the Master Potter how we should be mended. But just as in the beginning, He is patient and takes His time. It will be painful and challenging for us...yet we know that He knows us better than we know ourselves and we relinquish our control and surrender to His touch and  something that was once ugly and broken is becoming more beautiful in the process of mending the broken pieces.