I saw a possible frost warning for next week here in the Hill Country. Hard to believe when it’s 87° and I’m writing this from my back porch.

I spoke with a friend in Minneapolis this morning. Six inches of snow dropped on them last night. I tried stifling a laugh but was too slow.

Temperatures migrating from warm to cold bring mixed emotions to life in me. 

I hate being cold. I already wear a jacket indoors in the summer and sleep with a heavy blanket at night. That’s before the temps dip below 70°.

But I love change. I like variety. Diversity excites me. Different energizes me.

So when winter has scheduled a visit, I’m like the kid looking out the window waiting for Grandma to pull up.

Grasses will die back. Trees will lose their leaves. The shortness of the day will create a greater love for the sun and lead me to forget how merciless it is in August.

Change covers the past with a blanket of hope. New opportunities. New options. Other ways of experiencing life. Of appreciating the infinite possibilities of an infinite Creator.

Seasons of struggle and pain change into days of celebration and joy and then back again. All while carving out a cavern where character and wisdom grow under the watchful eye of the Creator’s Spirit. 

A Spirit who never changes. Who never leaves. Who anchors us every changing moment.

Colder days are coming. Remember your sweater.