There are four seasons in a year, each with its own characteristics. All living things take on different forms as the seasons change.

Photo by Ray Chan on Unplash

In spring, the rain awakens them from their sweet dreams; in summer, the cicadas urge them to grow; in autumn, the wind sways their bodies; in winter, the snow covers their traces.

The spiritual journey of Christians follows a similar pattern to that of all living things as they change with the seasons.

Spring: The Season of Sprouting

Because God does not want to see humanity entangled in the web of sin, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), God plants the seed of eternal life in their hearts. 

Though the thorns of desire and the stones of suffering often hinder from its growth, God tenderly watches over it, preserving it by heavenly grace. 

Through truth that clears away the thorns and stones, through light that nurtures the seed to sprout, and through the rain that nourishes the soil, the bewilderment and bitterness within the human heart gradually fade. 

As one begins to long more deeply for God’s grace, the barriers of the world are broken down, and tender new shoots begin to emerge.

Summer: The Season of Growth

After the seed of spiritual life breaks through the soil, God does not place it in a sheltered greenhouse. Instead, God allows it to grow under the heat of the sun, so that its roots may go deeper in Christ and draw nourishment more deeply.

As the Scripture teaches: whoever drinks the water the Lord gives them will never thirst. Indeed, the water the Lord gives them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14).

Meanwhile, God allows the winds to shake the branches, allowing the tree take root upon the rock and stand firm against the storms. In this way, we come to know that God is the provider and refuge of our spritual life. 

Through enduring every trial, the tree of spiritual life learns to rely wholly on God and grows strong under the shelter of Christ.

Autumn: The Season of Harvest

Having passed through the season of growth, the tree of life flourishes, taking root downward and bearing fruit upward in Christ. 

Yet there is a kind of fruit that is produced by self-reliance. Though it appears beautiful outwardly, it is corrupted within - “having a form of godliness, but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5). The Lord of hosts, who examines the heart and mind (Jeremiah 11:20), will will judge such fruit, and it can only be cast away. 

But the fruit born through the reliance on the Lord amid wind and rain is both beautiful and sweet, pleasing to God within and without. When such fruit ripens, it will be gathered and kept in remembrance. And in due time, at the banquet, it will be rewarded according to its yield.

Winter: The Season of Waiting

When the fruit of the Spirit is stored in Christ, God also brings our earthly journey to its end, and all our labors come to rest. We rest in Christ, and at the Second Coming, the Lord will awaken us and determine our final destiny - whether to enter eternal life or face eternal punishment. 

All judgement belongs to the Lord. No one can dispute it, for God will bring everything into the light. There will be no second chance, for “night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4). At that time, the only thing left for us is to wait.

Human life on earth is but fleeting, yet we are given the opportunity for eternity. Therefore, let our lives blossom, bearing fruit that glorifies God and benefits others, so that we may enter into eternal glory.

Author: Lu Kunpeng

Translator: Bei Feng