Season

I am in the midst of a change of seasons and it excites me! Coincidently, here in Canada we are close to entering a new season of snow - Winter. Autumn started out being warm but for the last couple weeks has been rather dreary - rainy & cold. I'm not sure how much the weather affects my psyche but I have been going through a season of disorientation. Even looking at my past number of blogposts I see my blogs as being rants and having an element of lament to them. In fact, I even entitled one lament. I'm not sure if it was that deep of a lament but it did release some of my thoughts & emotions.

We all go through seasons within our life, seasons of joy & happiness, seasons of dissaray - when everything seems to go wrong, and finally seasons that reflect on the difficulties gone through and the realization that we are better off than we were before. Walter Brueggemann in his book The Message of the Psalms - sees these three seasons of orientation, disorientation, & new orientation as sort of a lens in which we can look at the different psalms. In fact, it has become the template for much of what I have done in the psalms course I am teaching. Ironically, the season of disorientation, of lament has echoed what I am going through.

I have been challenged in my understanding of lifestyle, of what really is important. I have been challenged spiritually and taken a renewed look at calling, at ministry. I've realized more fully that life is not so much about doing as it is about being. Being who I am meant to be and affecting those around me by actually being me. Confused? Sorry - no excuses here...I'm leaving lament behind for now and focusing on the future. Yes I will look back at what I've learned but right now I'm about to leave my cocoon and take flight. It may be a slower process than what I would like but I can anticipate what lies ahead.

Here's a toast to new seasons & new understanding!

G

BTW - I managed to play U2's Wake Up Dead Man in my class and compared it first to Psalm 143:1-8 and then Psalm 44:23-26.