England receives the full range of seasons, often in a single day. If you stay alert, usually looking to the west in some manner you can see things building. Sometimes the change sweeps in from the northwest bring a cold blast of stinging rain while at other times a drenching blanket slips easily in from the southeast doorway to the Atlantic. You can start the day in late spring, briefly touch a fall shower, even more faintly experience a moment of summer sunshine, and then end up dwelling long and hard on the winter rains.
I enjoy the variety and uncertainty. One of life’s challenges comes in that I find myself enjoying the edges of relationships in the same way. If things are going too smoothly perhaps a wind-up is in order. It is important that it doesn’t hurt, just a gentle nudge to remind everyone how vulnerable we are.
Wisdom notes that “a north wind brings stormy weather, and a gossipy tongue stormy looks.” (Proverbs 25.23) The rest of the story is one that we have experienced far more than we care to recall. Relationships are stressed and eventually destroyed. Lives are filled with pain that should have never been unleashed. Opportunities are lost that can never be replaced.
Given our mortality it is a life-fact that we will have seasons in our lives. Understanding and working through the changes is an opportunity to live life more completely. Yet, I do not believe that the fullness of life includes the pain and trauma that comes from self-centric conversations like gossip. It is true that every life today does bear the scars yet this is not the ideal situation.
We were created to live life in peace, joy, and wonder – exploring, learning, and expressing ourselves to each other and to our creator. Along the way we added seasons of pain and recovery. If I am going to be part of anything then my choice is simple; let me be a part of peace, joy, wonder, recovering, and expressing all that is good. In other words, love.
