Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (NIV)

I heard the geese fly over the other morning as they were en route to their southern home. My heart was saddened to hear them go, for it is the forewarning that summer is ending and fall has commenced. With the commencement of autumn, winter is just around the corner.

How discouraging! I thought. I detest the cold and the long, dark days of winter. Assaulting my mind were visions of frozen windshield wipers, icy paths, layers of clothing, and awkward boots, not to mention mitts and gloves that make doing anything outside ten times harder. Yuck, yuck, yuck! Who needs winter? I have reached an age where I would be very happy to just completely skip this season. Nevertheless, it is coming, and I need to prepare myself for this fact — a fact that the geese, honking overhead, were not shy about announcing.

So, I began my preparations. I thanked God for the wonderful season of summer that we have experienced this year — definitely the most delightful one that I have ever enjoyed since moving to the north. In the glorious sunshine, our greenhouse thrived — as did the whole town, as everyone had opportunity to be out and about day after day enjoying green grass and waving wild flowers. Then, I thanked God for my cozy little home with its good furnace and storm windows, for the down parkas, mitts, and sturdy, comfortable boots, and for the invention of hand warmers that I always have in stock for those especially frigid mornings. I also envisioned the beauty of the snow, white and pristine as it drapes the boughs of trees and transforms the landscape into something wondrous. Then, I thanked God that He is my joy, my strength, and more than enough to see me through another season of winter.

Likewise, the seasons of our lives change. We go from seasons that we love and delight in, to seasons of bleakness and hardship, as our circumstances alter in a heartbeat. But amidst it all, there is one thing which never changes: our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In Him, we find our joy, our strength, and our hope for the changing seasons of life, just like the seasons of nature that are ever changing from one day to the next.

Today, we might be going through a season that we are not very fond of. If so, let's cling to the promise and the hope that this season, too, will come to an end. In the meantime, Jesus is with us, and He will see us through, today, tomorrow, and forever — a promise and a fact that we can count on.

Prayer: Father God, thank You that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that His presence with us is indeed our joy and our strength to weather whatever season of life that we find ourselves experiencing. Help us this day to embrace this truth with hope and joy, so that we can live out the season of life that we are going through in such a way as to be an encouragement to ourselves and all those around us. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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