May Flowers

This life is filled with many seasons, but I don't just mean Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. I mean there are seasons where everything seems especially good and there are seasons where everything seems especially bad. There are seasons of happiness and seasons of grieving. Seasons when everything falls into place and seasons where everything falls to pieces.

Beauties in bloom
on the back of our barn

A few months ago, I talked about seasons on my other blog, and I pointed out the importance of remembering that God is with you, no matter what season you happen to be going through. Today I found myself thinking about seasons again.

Personally, I've been going through a season of being extremely busy. Between work at the radio station, work at church and another project I'm working on, I've felt for the last couple months like I just run from one thing to another, without hardly a break! And when I do sit down, sometimes all I can do is think about how much I need to get up and get busy again if I ever want to get things done!

I haven't even had time to blog for over a month!

But as I was thinking about this today, I was reminded that all this busyness is not without a purpose. What we're doing at the radio station right now has been long overdue, and in a few more weeks, the overhaul there will be done and folks should notice a major improvement. The work of the church may keep me busy, but it's good work, and you never know just how many lives can be touched. There's nothing I want to do more than to influence lives in the name of Jesus Christ! And my special project is something I hope will eventually lead to a little extra income, but will also hopefully expand my ability to reach and influence lives for Christ; and again, once I get some initial things out of the way, the work load will lighten for me, so that'll be good.

Some are blooming, others are just budding
with the promise of new life!

Just as the old saying reminds us that, "April showers bring May flowers," so I remember that all this busyness is but a season, and it's a season with a reason. I know there will be a benefit in the end for the work I put in today. This encourages me to press forward on those days when I begin to feel like life is pressing down on me!

It's important to remember the temporary nature of our struggles. "And it came...to pass," as my mother always says.

It's important, also, to stop and smell those May flowers when they come! 

If you never stop and enjoy the benefits of your labor, then it's easy to feel defeated when it seems like the work will never end. But if you stop and give thanks for the little things along the way, then the work doesn't seem near as hard.

     Take time to celebrate little achievements!

                Set mini-goals and reward yourself as you reach each one! 

Take breaks now and then, just to relax, recharge and re-center your focus on God!

CNN ran a piece earlier this year - The Importance of a 'Stop Day' - where a doctor talked about the health benefits of taking a day off each week from all your work and worries. Turns out, God knew what he was doing when he told his followers to observe a Sabbath! (Who knew, right?)

Maybe it's hard in today's world to get a full day off every week, but if nothing else, I recommend planning some down time - building it into your schedule - because life is like a marathon, and if you try to run at full speed the whole time, you'll wear yourself out way too early! We have to pace ourselves!

Even though I didn't have time to sit and blog in the month of May, I did take some time to stop and smell the roses, and I took some pictures of some of my favorite things along the way.

Thank God for camera phones!

I hope I never get too busy to notice 

the beauty of God's handiwork!

I'm blessed as I remember that all the busyness in my life is just a passing season, and that it has a reason. And I'm blessed because of all the flowers and beautiful colors I've seen along the way!

The view looking down the road when I went to check the mail one day... :-)

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of each day, and for the opportunities you give me, both to rest from time to time and to recognize all the blessings you put in my life! Amen!