To everything under the sun, there is a time and a season. These seasons bring about changes in our lives, attitudes, status, positions, hopes, dreams and priorities. Some of these seasons are like springtime when the grass is green, the flowers are blooming, the rain is soft and sweet and the little animals come out to play.  In fact, the world may seem like a playground where people go to swing in the breeze and kick the dirt with their feet as they dream of swinging higher and higher. Everything is wonderful in its own way.

The hot summer season watches us stew and steam in the smoldering heat and drip with sweat as we go about our days and nights.  The discomfort of this season reminds me of the smothering situations of life that make it difficult to breathe and we keep gasping for air. This can be an unsettling time when things are not going well. The heat is on—and we wonder when God is going to cool us off.

The fall of the year brings more beauty and balance and helps us began to get a grip on those situations that have easily beset us. Soothing and tantalizing fragrances waft to our nostrils and enhance the appreciation for the colors of the falling leaves and the beauty of the earth and sky.  Crisis and circumstances seem a bit more under control and things may be calming down to a pace that we’re able to master. Life is not so unbearable. We can enjoy the crisply blowing winds that cool us down to a manageable temperature. Not a bad season at all.

Winter reminds me of the quiet, dormant, still, even cozy and cuddly settling down from the ups-and-downs of life into a place of quiet rest and anticipation for a new tomorrow.  We can cover ourselves with the light wraps of thought-provoking activities and daydreams of the impending festivals and celebrations to come.

Maybe you are between seasons, or you just can’t recognize which season of life you’re in. It gets that way sometimes. With all the confusion, question marks, unrest, upheaval, distress, oppression, depression, confusion, agitation, aggravation and even hesitation you may be experiencing, you might be asking these questions: “What’s going on, Lord? Why is life like this for me?  Did you forget about me God? Am I important to you, Jesus? What if this or that does not work out for me?” Questions, questions! We all have questions. But, thank goodness, there are answers! When life is a mess and people are disturbing you, the bills are due or your health is failing, your children are acting crazy and your loved one is gone, your boss is unfair and your work environment is not a sanctuary, you talk to your friends about your problems, but they have problems too, you are disappointed and disillusioned about life and you don’t know where to turn…there is a message for you: “Baby, God will make a way!”

I wrote this book to help you determine what season of life you’re in and how to recognize the sweetness, joy, hope, faith, tenderness, and love wrapped up in any season of your life whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall. Devotions with a Kick: Mama T Says Rise and Shine will wake you up to the reality that life is not nearly as rough and rugged as we’ve been taught to believe.  When you arise every day and your name is not in the obituaries—it is a great day.  Just ask people who have lived after the doctor said they were dying; getting up is a blessing!  Every eight seconds or so when we bat our eyes we have been given another eight seconds to draw in our wondering minds and come to the conclusion that “I have another chance to alter the course of my life and change my burdensome season to a brighter day.”

This year begins a new and glorious opportunity to start your season anew. While the circumstances may not change, you have a choice to change your attitude from the doldrums of the cold winter season of your life to the beauty of the springtime or fall.

In 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV), it says: ⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Wow!  What an opportunity to delight in your season—whatever the climate. Because whatever you are going through, there’s been someone else on the same journey who decided to bask in the beauty of springtime, to chill in the heat of the summertime, to rejuvenate in the elegance of the autumn time and to regroup in the warmth of a protective covering in the dead of the wintertime.  So, rise and shine with Mama T—anytime. I’m willing to walk with you through all these seasons helping to awaken your senses to the goodness of God all the time. Because this is true: every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. Every time.