Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11

"It's raining! It's pouring!" sang six-year-old Callie as she ran into Amber's room. "I love rain," she said. "It makes puddles to play in."

"Yeah, and it cancels picnics," Amber snapped,

"Are you going on a picnic?" asked Callie.

"I'm not going anywhere," grumbled Amber. "I told you. My picnic was canceled." She sighed. "And that's not all! I was supposed to go to an amusement park tomorrow with Morgan and her family, but Morgan's sick, so those plans got canceled too!"

"Well, if it storms, maybe the lights will go out, and we can use candles," said Callie. "That's always fun!"

"I hate storms!" Amber shook her head. "You're a strange kid. You love storms and rain and snow and cold weather--and hot weather too."

Mom laughed as she came into the room. "To Callie, there's no such thing as bad weather--only different kinds of weather."

"Do you know all the seasons, Amber?" asked Callie. She counted on her fingers. "There's spring and fall and winter and--"

"Summer," Amber cut in. "I know them too, Callie."

Callie threw her arms open wide. "And I love them all!"

"I'm glad you do," said Mom. "There are different seasons of the year, and there are different seasons in life too. There's childhood and adolescence. Then, before we know it, we're adults, and then maybe parents and even grandparents."

"Yeah, well, the teen years are the worst!" Amber exclaimed.

"Every season has its blessings as well as its problems, Amber," Mom said. "It's true that there are stormy times in teen years, but people of every age experience both storms and sunshine."

"Is it going to storm hard?" asked Callie. "I'll get the candles out." Amber gave a half-smile as Callie ran from the room.

"Even storms have a purpose," continued Mom. "For example, lightning puts nitrogen into the atmosphere to help plants grow. And life's storms can help us grow in our faith in Jesus. He loves us, died for us, and is always with us, and He'll help us through any kind of weather we face in life. That's something we can be thankful for every day, no matter what season of life we're in."

–Barbara J. Westberg