you're growing — keep going.

A few weeks ago, a coworker told me she really likes both summer and winter. She lives up north, so it really works out that she enjoys winter because it’s an extended season for her.

As she was telling me about it, I wondered if she wasn’t a fan of spring and fall because they’re transitional seasons, and transitions can be challenging. But then she said she also really likes the fall. It’s the spring that she’s not a big fan of.

The snow is gone, she said, but the warmer temperatures haven’t come yet.
Some days it’s sunny and warmer, and other days it’s raining — or hailing.
It takes things a long time to bloom.
Everything is brown.

Fall’s not like that, for sure. But spring is when things grow and bloom. And isn’t growth just like that?

It’s inconsistent. Unstable. Sometimes it’s not that beautiful. And it seems to take a sweet forever.

Summer eventually comes. The flowers bloom. Everything turns green. Temperatures rise. But growing into it can feel wild and uncomfortable, and like our least favorite season.

But I’m reminded of a book I read years ago that talked about how, in Genesis 2, we read that God planted a garden and the trees grew up from the ground. Why? Because, the author pointed out, God loves to watch things grow.

Honestly, that makes me feel better about the whole thing. It reminds me, in the midst of discomfort, that this process is good and purposeful. What I’m doing here, in this season, matters.

And God loves it. Which doesn’t always mean it’s easy or feels good. But I imagine He is next to me, cheering me on — the same way I’ve been next to wobbly one-year-olds, cheering them on as they learn how to walk.

A garden is amazing. Summer is fun. Being able to walk is key. And we get to enjoy those things when they come — but the process of getting there can also be really sweet too.

Maybe things feel inconsistent, unstable, not that beautiful, like whatever is coming next is taking forever. But you’re growing, and that’s a good thing.

Keep going. Keep doing it. You’re doing really good work that matters. God loves it. He’s cheering you on, and so am I.

The power of God is in you, even on a Thursday.