Guest blogger Carol McGeehan shares what she has learned about the changing seasons of life.

I soon will be 70, and I’ve been thinking about how my purpose in life has changed over the years with each new “season” in life. As I gazed out the window at my favorite tree, I found an answer to how to think about the cycles of life. Actually, God gave me the answer though the beauty of his creation. 

Do you wonder what your purpose is in life? Learn from the trees. See how they connect earth and heaven as they reach up to the sun for light to grow tall and reach down into earth for water and food. They clean up carbon and turn it into oxygen for other creatures to breathe and survive.

In summer they bear fruit to nourish and feed all God’s creatures. They give shade and homes for animals to nest and shelter their young. In the fall their leaves paint glorious splashes of color against a brilliant sky before flying and dancing on a golden breeze. And even in winter when trees grow old and die, they give back their life to the earth where new life can spring forth from their life. See how trees reveal God’s plan for all creation in the circle of birth, life, death, and resurrection.

Be like the trees. Reach for the sun. Dig deep roots and draw strength from the Earth. Grow tall and bear fruit. Provide food, shelter and shade.Show your glorious colors to the world and then dance in the wind. And when you die, know that your life will be resurrected and recycled into new life. Learn from the trees. . . . Be like the tree.

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