Seasonal Living
The start of a new season usually means updating our wardrobes, decorating our homes, and buying the perfect candle from Target. But living seasonally is more than just getting a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.
Living seasonally means intentionally embracing each season for what it is, celebrating the beauty that it brings, and acknowledging the reality of things yet to come.
Just as God set the days into motion, He also created the seasons. Psalm 104:19 NIV says, “He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.” Seasons are God’s way of ushering in change and breathing new life into His creation.
With things being so different this year, it almost seems like the seasons have all blurred together. Maybe you didn’t get to take that vacation you always take during the summer. Maybe back-to-school looked different for you this year. Without the usual events and traditions, it can be hard to really enjoy each season.
But no matter what is happening in our lives, the birds still build their nests, the flowers still bloom, and the leaves still turn and fall. The seasons continue to come--just as God set them into motion from the beginning.
So, what does seasonal living actually look like? There’s no right or wrong way to live seasonally, but it usually centers around sustainability and welcoming what each season brings.
Here are a few examples of living seasonally:
Spend more time outside. Take walks around your neighborhood. Have a picnic. Sit on your front porch. Watch the snow fall from your bedroom window. Make time to notice the changes that come with each season.
Prepare your home. You don’t have to buy a bunch of decorations to get ready for a new season. Pull out the cozy blankets. Light the candles. Pick flowers for your kitchen table. Make a seasonal playlist. Try to incorporate all the senses and bring a little bit of nature into your home.
Buy seasonal foods. Farmer’s markets are great for getting fresh, local foods for each season. Plus, foods that are in season taste way better!
Create your own seasonal traditions. Plan a Friendsgiving for your friends who aren’t able to go home for the holidays. Make up your own Galentine’s Day festivities. Find ways to celebrate each season that also make sense for your season of life.
Pray and reflect. Take some time at the beginning and end of each season to look back on what God has done and what you’ve learned. Journal, pray, and prepare your heart for what God will show you in the new season.
Whether seasonal living is something new for you or you’ve always lived this way, we can all be more intentional about appreciating the blessings that come with each season, and with this new mindset comes so many benefits.
Seasonal living teaches us . . . That God is in control.
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease” (Genesis 8:22, NIV).
It wasn’t that long ago that the seasons of the year had a much bigger impact on our lives. They determined what we ate, the way we worked, and how we planned ahead. Nowadays, the comforts of our modern world often keep us from fully embracing each season. We can get strawberries in December and turn on our AC in the summer. And unless you’re a farmer, you probably don’t think much about preparing months in advance for the upcoming seasons.
But like certain foods do not naturally grow during certain seasons, we cannot make things happen on our own. No matter how hard we try, we cannot command the grass to grow or the snow to come. Living seasonally reminds us that we are limited but also that our Creator is in control and we can trust Him to take care of our needs--both physically and spiritually.
To be more present.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
I don’t know about you, but I tend to enjoy things more when they only come once a year. Picking out pumpkins in October or watching the azaleas come to life in April has taught me that each season has its own unique blessings. And knowing that things don’t last forever makes me want to be more present and appreciate what I have in front of me right now.
The seasons invite us to slow down and take everything in. They show us that we can fully enjoy today, even as we patiently wait for tomorrow. Seasonal living calls us to a slower, more meaningful pace of life--the way God intended for us to live.
Every season has a purpose.
“The seasons change and you change, but the Lord abides evermore the same, and the streams of His love are as deep, as broad and as full as ever.” --Charles Spurgeon
In the same way there are changing seasons throughout the year, there are also changing seasons throughout our lives. Some seasons are hard and challenging; some are abundant and joyful. Living seasonally reminds us that there is good to be found, even in the middle of the hardest seasons.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 NIV
The fertile soil of spring brings forth a harvest in the fall, and the harshness of winter clears the way for new life to come through. This cycle shows us that every season has a purpose and that God has the power to breathe new life into each of us. And we know that one day, those who have been reborn in Christ will get to enter into an everlasting season of peace and joy with our Heavenly Father.
The seasons will come and go without our help. But by intentionally preparing for and embracing each new season, we can also prepare our hearts to connect with God more deeply throughout the year.
What are some ways you can practice seasonal living?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abbie is a native Mississippian who now calls Nashville, TN home. She works as a writer for Ramsey Solutions and enjoys reading, traveling, laughing, and playing with her corgi, Eudora, in her spare time. You can find more of her writing at Abbie Walker