We could grumble and complain. Or even yell and scream. We could even hold our breath. Yet no matter what we do.

We will not stop the seasons from coming and going.

Let’s face it. Winter is cold. Summer is hot. Spring is wet. Fall is…

Well, fall is the best season ever!  Oh, wait. I got sidetracked there for a moment.

Now, where were we again?   Oh Yeah, You can’t change the seasons, but you can change your clothes.

Change your clothes, please!

Sometimes everything and everyone seems cold, distant and dark… When it’s winter.  Sometimes it seems our lives are great. Like a never ending summers day.  Then there are those autumn days when it seems everything is changing like the leaves of fall.

During these seasons, we may not always control our circumstances.  But we do have control over how we respond.

When it’s cold outside we put on layered clothes, gloves, hat and a nice warm jacket. When it’s windy and rainy, we put on our windbreaker, rubber boots and grab a big umbrella. When it’s hot we take off our clothes and walk around in underwear! Well, at least one of us does.

When seasons change, we must use our time appropriately, and roll with the punches. Just like the season’s change, we too go through seasons in our lives.  My question is – when the seasons of your life change, what do you do?

You change your clothes!

The different seasons of our life.

SPRING is the season for warming weather, planting crops and enjoying new growth. It’s spring when we find ourselves given new opportunities. It could be our chance to prepare for a new job offer, an opening to invest our money, the birth of a child, or even the opportunity to change your life completely.

When we find ourselves in these situations we must be willing to put on our work clothes and go out and do what it takes to work on and seize new opportunities.

SUMMER starts out by putting on shorts, slippers and starting our vacation. And of course enjoying the longer days. It’s summer time when we start to enjoy the fruits of our labor. When we realize we can kick back and relax for a while. Especially after all the hard work of spring cleaning (selling off assets), preparing the soil (getting a promotion) and planting our crops (saving and investing). Sometimes life needs to be enjoyed and this is the season for it.

Yet at some point in the summer, we start to feel the autumn chill and realize we can’t be on vacation forever.  This is because summer is also the season to attend to and harvest our crops (i.e. Sell off investments, close deals, ask for a promotion, take profits and harvest whatever crop we’ve been waiting for).

Changing clothes is not just changing what we do or how we respond, but also growing into what we can become.

AUTUMN is the time of  life when we realize that things are changing and we’re brought to the sudden realization that nothing lasts forever. It could be we are nearing retirement, undergoing physical challenges, sending children off to college, severe sickness or  losing a job.

During these times  it’s ok to put on our jacket of reflection,  our scarf of fond memories, or our black veil of mourning.  However,  it’s also a time to buck up, get dressed and get back to the business of living our life.

WINTER is, of course, those dark times of our life when everything and everyone is cold and distant. In winter, it may seem  no matter what we do, everything seems bleak.

Winter is the time to put on the thick jacket of patience and endurance and ride out the storm. Sometimes when we can’t do what we want to do, we must do what we can do. During the dark cold days of winter, we must stay warm and survive. Even if it feels like were going through the motions. Sometimes motion is what keeps us warm and safe.

A real life example

A few months ago, I noticed my daughter changing.  It wasn’t giant; she just seemed a little distant.  Then she began to make excuses for not spending time together like we had for so many years.  I asked her what was wrong, but she said. Nothing! Everything’s fine.

So, I let this go on for a few weeks until I decided to do something about it.  Instead of asking what’s wrong, I put on the clothes of humbleness and asked her if I had done something wrong.  Of course, the answer was yes.

I tried to listen to her explain the problem, but for some reason, I kept trying to get out of my clothes of humbleness and change back into Fatherly Mr. Fix-it Suit. However, she didn’t need me to solve a problem. She needed me to listen to her without interrupting, and then apologize for being such a jerk!

For another example, let’s look at a conversation from the Bible.

Late one night, a religious leader named Nicodemus came to talk to Jesus because he heard all the great things happening with Jesus.  I’m not sure what Nicodemus expected, but right from the get-go Jesus told him that he needed to be born again if he wanted to experience the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus was taken aback and very confused by the conversation because he took it too literally (like crawling back into his mother’s womb and being “born again”).

However, after some more explaining, he eventually got the point. Which in a nutshell is:  we are all born of flesh and experienced life in our physical forms. However to experience spiritual life one must be born again spiritually.  This  indicates not so much a change of clothes (flesh) but a change on the inside (spirit).  (for more on this check out our Mental/Spiritual tab at the menu bar).

Dealing with life changes

Changing clothes is not just changing what we do or how we respond, but also growing into what we can become.

Remember, the seasons change whether we are ready or not. We can jump up and down, pout, get angry, complain and shout at the cold, hot or stormy weather. However, seasons will come and go regardless.   So why not adapt and change as the season change.  Life will be much more comfortable, manageable and enjoyable. When we put on the right clothes.