The Time for Singing has Come… an Update to My Post from July.

For those who have been praying for us, I just wanted to give a brief update. As I re-read my post from the end of July, I am truly blessed by God’s faithfulness in this past season for my family. Life is a cycle of seasons. My favorite season of the year has always been autumn. I think this stems from spending a chunk of my childhood in a region of the country that experiences the phenomenon of fall foliage. I absolutely adore fall. I love the rich vibrant colors, the earthy smell of dried leaves as they crunch underfoot, and the shortening hours of daylight. I welcome the excuse of chilly days to cook hearty soups and stews, and to imbue my house with candlelight. At this time of year, my house usually looks as if fall has exploded in it. I’m not certain if that will be the case this year, since the major instigators of the transformation are not around to encourage it as much, but I have already felt the urge stirring within to begin gathering pumpkins, and gourds, apples and acorns. If the weather would cooperate a bit more with the process, I might actually venture up to the garage rafters to retrieve my decorations.

It is this contemplation of the passage of seasons, and the reminder of God’s ever-present faithfulness that caused me to revisit my previous blog post. In July, as I was praying for my daughter who was grieving the loss of a long term relationship, the Lord had directed me to Psalm126:5, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” This scripture had prompted some contemplation of the nature of seeds and sowing, in addition to giving comfort and encouragement that this was indeed a season, and that blessing would come from heartache. You can read that blog entry “Dead or Alive” for more specifics of how the Lord encouraged us during that time.

Two months have passed, and healing has begun. The Lord has provided my daughter with wonderfully supportive companions as she has begun her time at Biola. They have been a channel of God’s compassion to her, and have brought laughter back in a time of tears. They have reminded her of who she is, and the gifting that God has placed in her, and that there are kindred spirits out there for her. She is in a far better place emotionally than she has been in quite a while, and is excelling in her studies. I am grateful for this, for these special friends, and for the prayers of those who have been there for her during this season of her life.

Yesterday, my husband pointed a plant out to me in our garden. It is growing along our wall with our climbing roses and is one which I thought no longer lived in our yard, because there was no sign of it where it had once been growing. It is my old friend, the Love in a Puff. It still resides here; it just has sprung up in a new location. This morning, the Lord reminded me of another scripture with these words: “The time of singing has come…” This scripture from Song of Solomon chapter 2 (NKJV) has a whole lot more to it that may one day be applicable to this situation, but the only words from it which I felt the Lord speak specifically to me right now were these. As I considered the words and what the Lord was sharing with me through them, I was reminded of the previous verse about reaping with songs of joy. I think He is saying that the time of sowing in tears is over. It’s interesting that this word comes now as we are entering the fall season, the season of harvest or reaping.

This past week, there has been singing in our home :), and I am looking forward to more singing still as we enter fully into the harvest season. Gatherings of family and friends await, with warmth, food and fellowship. After this comes Christmas, and our empty nest will again be full for a time. I know the Lord has good gifts prepared for us in the New Year, and as I recall the events that have occurred in our lives since the ending of last year, I am amazed. Spring will be upon us in a few short months with its promise of reawakening secret gardens which must for now, patiently await the warmth of spring to make them grow. The Lord is good!