seasons?

there are "seasons of life", "reasons for the season", "season of change", "changing seasons"... you get my point... it's as obvious as a single spot on a dalmatian:)... there are seasons everywhere, the very word conjures an image of trees, leaves, evergreens and NEVERgreens, but season also represents change, or an evolution, or possibly a new beginning... so many concepts, hence my relating to spots on a dalmatian...
to find the connotation that you want to explore obviously involves context;

"seasons of life"= commentary on stages of getting older or aging...a nice way of saying that if we follow the natural order of life we will eventually be in our "wintery months"...

"changing seasons"=many times a reference from those who don't live in southern california and actually observe a change in seasons; leaves morphing into a variety of hues, diminishing warmth, snowy holidays...

"season of change"=not one of the better known idioms referencing change (and possibly just one that runs through my own head) but a reference to limbo life, the moments, weeks, months sometimes years of accepting all things new surrounding us... family growing up, loss of loved ones, acceptance of personal limitations, challenging personal limitations, finding the equilibrium to make the season a positive stepping stone to whatever the next season may be...

"reason for the season"=Jesus, referencing the Christmas season and celebrating Christ in Christmas
for God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life....John 3:16

recently timmy and i had a discussion about the christmas spirit and how we all tend to look for more opportunities to demonstrate God's love at this time of year; pay for someone's dinner, serve food at a homeless shelter, put a quarter in the salvation army bucket... all good things, but why is there a spotlight at this time of year? why is it merely seasonal? i guess what i took away from that conversation was a bit of a weighty conscience and a challenge to not allow "the reason for the season" phrase to dictate an annual event, and to actively (actions vs. words) pay homage to our Lord and Savior who gave everything for us, and think/act on this as a regular exercise in faith.
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When we think of the word reason, many of us may think, "well doesn't there have to be some question involved?" and of course if we're using Jesus as the answer to the Christmas season that totally works. But what if we just simplify and turn the other well known phrase around "Jesus is the answer" and combine the two and take out the question (uh-oh, sounds like math to me...)

Jesus is the reason for the season + Jesus is the answer = Jesus IS the reason:)

G.P.S.

recently i have been finding that there are many forms of G.P.S. in our lives... there is the obvious vocal coach that you drive around and have them issue many directions (oftentimes with the voice of your choosing...how pleasant)... the directions are repeated in a very persistent, calm voice, and it is difficult to deviate from someone insisting that you "turn right in 500 ft, turn right in 500 ft, TURN RIGHT IN 500 FT!", no they don't yell at you (thank heavens) but it does seem to be a form of automated nagging...

when we were in virginia beach this past summer...four very hot, sweaty, yet exciting and memorable weeks... we used the GPS on timmy's phone (free app, by the way...), we found ourselves in a variety of situations and places that didn't quite make sense and the GPS would actually make sense of it... how princess anne intersects princess anne i have NO idea, (and yes chad, this was for you...)....but something else i found fascinating about this little innovative directional gem is that when we DIDN'T follow the voice? it would say "re-routing, re-routing..." it would take a moment, re-calibrate what we had actually done, and then start us over in the right direction.

yes, many of us see where this is heading (and i'm sure you don't need GPS to get there...) but in each of our lives we are seeking direction! we have an initial path that we begin and then we just "head out"... maybe we need to be more purposeful? maybe we need to actually plug into our God Positioning Service and "assume the position" of prayer where we literally bow our heads and ask our Creator God where He wants us to go.... and that interesting little feature of the worldly GPS where it "re-routes" you? is not by any means lost in this analogy... no matter what we do, no matter where we go, if we are asking God to lead us, guide us and even re-route, He will speak to us in whatever "voice" He chooses to use; time (aka waiting...), prayer, people, His word, His work... if we're following His plan we'll never be lost we'll just find ourselves re-routed...

jeremiah 29:11 "for i know the plans that i have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."