Equinox Paradox.

We have just passed the equinox, that time of the year when night and day are of equal length in both northern and southern hemispheres. Equal yet not the same.

autumn leaves – Seattle

Here in the northern hemisphere we are heading towards winter. Outside my window the leaves are slowly changing from green to gold and red. Heaters have replaced fans and swimwear has given way to winter coats in most stores. We are hunkering down, waiting expectantly for the first icy blasts.

Flowering Australian wattle

I watch in envy however as my Australian friends post photos of wattle and New Zealanders revel in the flowering of the kowhai tree. For them the hot, sun bathed days of summer are just around the corner.

My global connections remind me that even when change occurs it is not the same for all of us. There are often only fleeting moments when we seem to be living in the same world – equal parts night and day, light and dark. Then suddenly we realize – some of us, like those who live at the equator are not changing much at all, others seem to be going in totally different directions and their viewpoints are diametrically opposed to ours. The hard thing to come to terms with is that this might be OK with God. And I am not talking just about the seasons here.

It is natural for us to want to convince others that we hold the corner on truth when it comes to faith. Perhaps our faith journey has moved us from conservative to liberal theological viewpoints. Others have journeyed in the opposite direction. Some have moved right out of the accepted realms of Christian faith. For others faith has grown and blossomed out of adamant atheism. We struggle with guilt and grief because we cannot convince them of our perspective.

penstemon

When I first moved to Seattle, I struggled to garden appropriately. I wanted to plant the wrong seeds and plants at the wrong seasons. I wanted to grow hibiscus and bougainvillea when I should have been experimenting with rudbeckia and penstemon. It took years for me to adjust to the new rhythm of the seasons and fully appreciate the beauty of these plants.

As I contemplate the changing of the seasons today I find myself wondering. Can I trust that God is still at work when someone I love is going in the opposite direction from myself? Is it possible that God has many rhythms of life, many pathways that are acceptable that I need to appreciate? 

What do you think?