I had a different post in mind this morning, but yesterday I decided I’ve been too negative lately. I guess soapboxes are rarely positive, which is kind of sad. We’re all eager to yell about what makes us angry, but few people are willing to be vocal about what makes them happy. When was the last time you heard someone speaking passionately about something happy that just happened? It happens occasionally, but not very often.

But today is Fall. And that makes me happy. I was walking across campus the other day, bundled in my Fall coat (it’s too early to be wearing winter coats, people!) with my cheap pashmina scarf around my neck, and I was marveling at the seasons. Only a few weeks ago, we found ourselves in unseasonably warm weather, sans-coat. Now it’s the edge of winter, and the leaves barely have time to change and escape before the snow comes. I love the seasons. And you know what? God does too.

I think the seasons give us a perfect opportunity to see the goodness of God. He can take drastically different circumstances and make them absolutely beautiful. Whether it’s a budding tree, a hot sunny day, a sugar maple shining in its vibrant orange glory, or a soft, quiet snowfall, God makes it beautiful. Think of those gloomy January days, the bright Christmas times long gone, the bitter cold descending upon us… and God sends a sweet blanket of snow to cover the dead, grumpy landscape. Suddenly, the ugliness is now magical Narnia, where – if we adults had any child left in us – we would swear Mr Tumnus was going to come out from behind that tree. Or the rainy April weeks, when we are ready to go buy some gopher wood and start on that ark… and God lets the rains break for a bit and gives us a rainbow against the dark sky. Your surroundings take on that eerie after-rain glow, and suddenly the trees seem a little greener, the flowers seem a little perkier, and the air smells a little fresher.

If God can do that with the weather and our exterior surroundings, how much more can He do it to our interior? How much more can he make a horrible day, when everything is going not-quite-right, when we feel rushed and overworked and pulled and stretched… suddenly come to a little stop. We sigh a little sigh, whisper a little prayer, and know that the day isn’t that bad. Because He’s there, even if we’ve forgotten.