Seeing God in Every Season

Posted by: Leah Gartner, Director of Marketing and Events | Monday, November 3rd, 2025 (12:00am)

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.—Matthew 10:29-31

Fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I love the smell of leaves and bonfires, and a hint of cinnamon drifting through my neighborhood (I live by a bakery, it’s amazing!). I love to take walks with crisp air on my face and leaves crunching under my feet while enjoying the last of the fading sun streaming through golden trees. I find myself fascinated by the fact that the leaves are actually red, orange, and yellow all the time, but we just can’t see it yet because of the summer production of chlorophyll. They are beautiful jewels hiding in plain sight, waiting until the very end to show their true colors.

The outdoors isn't the only thing that changes upon the arrival of fall, however. When the daylight gets shorter, we gather more as a family. We spend more time around the dinner table chatting or playing games and snuggling up together under blankets in front of the fire. We spend more time in the kitchen making dinner together or baking cookies, because I welcome the fact that the oven heats up the entire house. It is a natural time of rest because the body clock God created in us adjusts with the earlier setting sun, prompting us to go to bed sooner.

God teaches me so much in the changing of the seasons. In His infinite wisdom God uses every tool to show us who He is. When the trees eventually become bare it can look desolate, but God designed this with intention. The leaves must fall to preserve the tree through the winter in order for new life to grow in the spring. Of course, the trees aren’t the only signposts of God’s sovereignty over the natural world. The animals understand the shifting seasons as well. The geese know when to fly south toward climates that offer more food and shelter. The squirrels gather and hide provisions for the winter to keep them from going hungry, and some creatures begin to build homes underground to keep them out of the elements altogether.

Just as God knows exactly what nature needs to survive and thrive, He knows what need too. In Matthew Jesus tells his disciples, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

There are seasons in my life that can look desolate; maybe it’s a friendship that has ended or a job loss, or even a loved one that has passed away. I can trust that God is not only there with me in those times, but He values and loves me and will equip me with everything I need too. He knows what lies on the other side; that change and transformation will come, that the sorrow will turn to joy. If I gather around His table of provision given to me through Jesus, I will find rest and grow closer to Him, and God will see me through the long winter and bring me to a place of new growth and life. When I learn to trust Him in every season, I begin to realize that the beauty of God’s love is always there, even when it feels like I can’t see it. In fact, the darkness only makes the light of God shine brighter.