Dr. Agnes S. Thomas
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
It is spring again, and resurrection season for those who believe. There are so many parallels we can draw between these seasons and our own life seasons. Here in my land, we have just come out of a harsh, unpredictable winter that confused all living things and, in some cases, caused distress and illness. Some people got colds and allergies, while plants, whose shoots emerged from the earth, died when the frost returned after a day or two of warmth.
This reflection was sparked by insights from one of the harshest winter seasons I have ever endured. There were days when the cold air felt as if it had settled inside me, not just around me. Days when simply getting through was all that could be mustered. In retrospect, those days served as a reminder that sometimes your own strength is not enough and that healing takes time. And now, slowly but surely, seeing the light and warmth emerge from the dark, cold earth, like the tulips waiting to show their beauty, feels like a gift.
Why the metaphorical reference to seasons? All the seasons are part of our lives, and they do not follow straight lines but cycles. Every living thing must learn to live within them and find meaning, so the gift can be cherished. Seasons are felt differently depending on where we are, yet they are there for all who pay attention. In earlier days, elders imparted their knowledge to help children understand, adapt to, and prepare for these changes.
Who is the wisdom whisperer in your home or community? And how are they helping young people understand the seasons of life and their place in them?
The little secret about seasons, both external and internal, is that the sooner we accept them, the better we live through them. In winter, we must learn to shed what no longer serves us so we have room for the new growth in spring and the bloom of summer in our lives. Sometimes, we are to plant new seeds, prune what needs to be cut, and clear what has finished living in order to welcome new life. When we don’t maintain them, they become what we call the burden or the clutter of our lives, taking away the beauty and joy of holding and dwelling in them.
Each season brings its own lesson, often when we least expect it. It asks something different of us each time. What worked before may no longer work now. The person who once walked through winter without a hat may now need one to avoid harm. The same is true of our inner lives. As we grow, our thresholds change.
Sometimes we cannot get through a season alone. We lean on a neighbour, or we become that neighbour for someone else. Treating every season the same leaves us unprepared and, at times, hurting.
One insight from this past winter stays with me: no matter how ready you think you are, you are never prepared enough. You need grace, strength, and deep faith and humility to seek help, endure certain seasons, and be in the Light again. And sometimes, our purpose in that season is not just to survive it, but to help someone else through theirs.
There are winters, for example, of grief, loss, illness, war, addiction, and/or betrayal. Regardless of what has brought someone into that place, they need care, presence, and hope. The story of resurrection reminds us of this. It calls us to be signs of hope in a world where we depend on one another more than we often admit.
When approached with openness and care, even the hardest seasons can reveal something beautiful. Life can emerge from places that once felt desolate. Hope can take root where there was despair.
So, the question remains: how are you responding to the season you are in? What story will you tell your children about it? What tools will you offer to someone who is not ready for their season? Whatever season you find yourself in, the call remains the same: to be fully human, with all its beauty and vulnerability, and to be a neighbour to those who need you.
Which seeds from the past season are you keeping and planting in anticipation of spring?
May this season be gentle upon you. May you feel the strength and hope it offers. And may you find light, even as you emerge from your own winter.
-Originally published in https://lightoftruth.in