Seasonal Shift (Audio)
Seasons come, and go, but are so unlike the seasons of our life. True. We may identify our age and mobility to a particular season, but seasons that are defined by our planet’s rotation come and go with understandable regularity. A scientific description may go something like this:
Season: “…one of the four periods of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), beginning astronomically at an equinox or solstice, but geographically at different dates in different climates”
Different dates at different climates? Sure. When it’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere! And the equinox shows the exact middle between the two solstices. Equinox, think “equal” distance. Solstice is the tilt of the earth when the north pole is pointed toward the sun (Summer Solstice) or away from the sun (Winter Solstice). This tilt ranges 23.5 degrees! And the equal distance between the tilt is the equinox showing us the start of Summer or Fall.
Those who study planetary and astronomical sciences understand this and can spin the words that will make our own heads spin!
But the Fall season from a human perspective, as in you are entering a season of life different from the one you were just in, it’s often internally felt more than seen by others. Yes. Hair may be graying, your walk no longer has a spring in the steps, and your history of accomplishments are seldom remembered by younger folks, but I feel like saying…
It’s all a state of mind.
And the power of the mind can help you continue a profitable life even as your body enters slower seasons of life and living!
Unless your mind is shutting down, we all experience age changes that creep and suddenly we realize we are no longer as able as we once were…but the mind still works at the pace of earlier years! Entering “retirement” is tough on many folks because they’ve had an adult work habit for 40+ years and suddenly their schedule says they can keep a different pace. When my dad retired, the president of the company spoke at the retirement celebration:
(Paraphrasing) “Statistically, 20% of you will be dead in a year! Why? You no longer have a purpose and you don’t know what to do with yourself. So, please, go get a job, volunteer, travel, make your day have a reason for living!”
Think about it. When you have been living for something that is going away and you have nothing to replace it with, then the joy of facing the day changes into “there’s no reason to even get out of bed….”. Yes! The job was stressful, you even hated it at times, but it put a roof over your head and took care of your family!
I guess if what you live for goes away then the joy of finding new purpose can be fun. However, my search for purpose is not found in just living for the job! I gave up my IT career a dozen years ago and know my purpose is greater than the effort of living for those jobs.
I have a greater view of my purpose and it’s not the 8-5 job!
How do I keep my mind going even as the next season of life shows up on my doorstep? Well, my purpose has not changed, although the tasks to satisfy my purpose modifies with each season, and with each generation. My job is not the particular task, rather it’s the overarching thought that I live my life to please God. This is the way it’s been from my youth. I’ve been good at it, at times, and I’ve made wrong choices at other times. But regardless, I’m still focused. My purpose is still set. And a change of task will not diminish my reason for life!
So. If you are struggling with your seasonal shift, take hope that the focus you have for a generation of time is still right in front of you and it does not fade away.
Keep living your righteous life so your thoughts will always be Right! (Proverbs 12:5) It’s from the heart that the mind produces evil thinking (Matthew 15:19-20) and these are the things which defile us. So… Keep your heart pure! (Matthew 5:8)
Enjoy the seasonal shift… It’s not over yet!