When The Butter Hardens
Wiping the night from my bleary eyes, I hesitated to rise from my bed. It's morning all too quickly and today, like so many days, I feel unprepared. There is much to do in my morning routine before I can head out to work and any deviation from my plan brings unwanted consequences. The meds, the shots, the counting and measuring and calibrating, all have their time slot in my familiar routine and already I know that my challenges are increasing by the moment. Sometimes, my coordination lacks the finesse I would like and simple tasks just take longer. Taking my morning injections can be super easy or super stressful. There's no in-between for me. This morning I happened upon a site for my injection and it was sore and so I removed the needle in order to find a new location that was less tender. It's getting harder as the years go by….one never gets used to these marvels of medical science. Even though they are designed to help us, there is inevitably a downside.
The clock ticks louder when I'm running behind as if urging me forward at an uncomfortable pace. I have to eat breakfast, I can't go without or it sets in motion a horrible chain of events that at this point in my life, I have learnt to avoid. The pan got too hot. I burnt my eggs as well as my toast. When I lifted the lid to the butter dish I discovered that its contents were harder this morning, and in spite of the expected 90+ temps today, I heard a whisper that the seasons were going to change.
Through the years, one of my signals for change has been my 38 year old butter dish on my kitchen counter. Though still summer, the long days are winding down and nights are a tad cooler. But it's always been the butter in my dish that has heralded that change is on the way.
After making an attempt to eat my breakfast, I went to my usual spot to meet with the Lord but when I got there I just felt out of sorts, grumpy, tired and frustrated. Some seasons just seem so endless and difficult. I'm in one of those times as I write this. And as I whined and wailed and poured out my heart before the Lord, He reminded me of the butter and how it responds to its surroundings. The hardening, though subtle, is an indication that cooler days and indeed nights, are on the way. Summer is gathering her bounty and moving towards Autumn, not hastily but quietly and with ease. She knows it's time to move on and so she begins to prepare for what is coming next.
Each season has its own beauty and equally its own set of struggles and I was reminded this morning that all I am going through will indeed pass away to reveal a new season, with new opportunities. You can't stop the seasons in nature and likewise, you cannot hold back the seasons in your life either. They will come whether you want them to or not and just like in nature, they are here for an allotted amount of time. Perhaps, like mine, this current season has been more difficult and challenging than you expected. I don't mind admitting that life is hard, but I also like to acknowledge the good bits as well. There is much to be thankful for.
As we journey through these last weeks of summer, may we embrace and anticipate all that God has for us in the next season but let’s not be in a hurry to get there. There are always lessons to be learnt and treasures to unwrap and I, for one, wouldn't want to miss a single opportunity to discover all that God has planned for me today.