Signs of the Season

On By Beth AlisanIn Lessons

Although our Labradors do not have watches, they understand time perfectly.  They take heed of the signs and act accordingly.  When the birds begin singing, they know it’s time to get up and wake up any snoozing humans.  When they hear the jangle of keys, they know it’s time to go and stand at the door. When they see suitcases stacked in the foyer, they know it’s time for a road trip.  While the back of the van is being loaded, they both hop in and grab a seat ensuring they won’t be left behind. 

As a human, I depend on the calendar and clock for time orientation.  If the calendar reads, “First Day of Fall,” I pull out the harvest decorations and stock the pantry with pumpkin, apples, and spices.  The clock in turn orients my day. 5 am wake up (often a cute black Labrador is in my face reinforcing the alarm clock’s message),  6:30 am walk the dogs,  9 am start school,  5 pm transport kids to activities, 7 pm dinner, 9 pm bed.

This fall I found myself asking the question, “Am I so fixated on my calendar and the commitments for the day that I miss the signs heralding the change of seasons?”  It seemed like I woke up one day surprised to find that the days had grown shorter, the night temperatures colder, the summer birds missing, the last harvest hanging on my tomato and pepper plants, and the green trees beginning to sport hues of yellow, orange, and red.  These signs beg preparatory action.  It’s time to clean the bird feeder and put it in place for the arrival of the winter birds.  It’s time to prepare my garden for winter. It’s time to take inventory of the pantry and restock it with the essentials.  It’s time to see if my growing children can still fit last year’s boots and ski gear as well as outfit them with new winter clothes. 

This fall, my Labs reminded me that it’s important to look away from the calendar and clock, take heed of the signs, and act accordingly.  I need to be like the sons of Issachar.  This group of men was commended by the Old Testament author of the book of Chronicles as those “who understood the time and knew what Israel should do.” (2 Chronicles 12:32)

I need to be paying attention to the signs of the time, and I need to be preparing.  Jesus Christ will one day return.  I need to make sure

 That my lamp remains filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 25:1-13)

That I’m using my God given talents not for my own profit but to profit the Kingdom of God (Matthew 25: 14-30)

That I’ve asked Jesus to unload from my heart the burdens of anxiety and bitterness (Luke 21:34)

How are you preparing for the Lord Jesus’ return? 

 Are you reconciling a relationship with . . . .

Listening to Jesus call on your life and . . . .

Acknowledging the sin of  . . . and repenting.

Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree:  As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.  Even so, when you see all these things you know that He is near, right at the door.”

Matthew 24: 32-33

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father. . .Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come . . . So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” 

Matthew 24: 36, 42, 44

© 2023, Lessons from a Lab, Beth Alisan.  All Rights Reserved.

34 thoughts on “Signs of the Season”

  1. This post of yours got my attention, Beth, and not just because of the cute dogs!
    Some months ago I acted on a recurring thought I’d been having; I moved the clock with its oversized face from its central place in our kitchen.
    Why? Ross, my husband, now has low vision hence the big clock. But there had been a clock sitting in pride of place for almost 30 years – since we moved into the house.
    I was becoming more and more aware that we (especially Ross, but me too) didn’t seem to act or make a decision until we’d looked at the clock. Since my mind isn’t as ordered as Ross’ and I like to depend on the Holy Spirit to guide me, I was so over it!
    So we’ve been getting used to a ‘new normal’; the clock’s around the corner (out of the kitchen) and in its place hangs the print of a painting of “Love lives here”!
    So, thanks for your thoughts which resonated with my heart. 🕰️🤗❤️

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    1. Wow Heather what an incredible story! I’m so glad this lesson resonated and reinforced the message the Holy Spirit had already given you. Well done on hearing and acting on His instructions! May your “new normal” bring many blessings into your home to your ministry to family and friends.

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    1. Thank you Pastor Pete! We threw Adi a curve ball this past week when my daughter got her learner’s permit. For the first driving lesson, Adi got in the van as usual (hopping from the driver’s seat down into the nook between the driver and passenger seats where she lays) only my daughter got in the driver’s seat and I in the passenger seat which confused her so much. She was quite anxious for the entirety of the ride. The next day, she accepted this driver change and is now quite content with the new arrangement.

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  6. I love this question, “Am I so fixated on my calendar and the commitments for the day that I miss the signs heralding the change of seasons?” I am going to take more time to relish in Autumn, my favorite season. Speaking of relishing – I relished in those awesome pup photos – love them both in the van. I want to get in the van and drive them somewhere when I see that photo!

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    1. Thank you Tierney! They are both great road trip dogs, as I’m sure Mike is as well. Though I doubt he would be a big fan of sharing the back seat with two large dogs. They take up A LOT of space and sprawl terribly. My youngest calls their sprawling invasive and hates when she is stuck in the back with them. LOL Our cat joins us for trips to my childhood home, so my youngest always gets to sit up front with the cat on her lap. On those trips I feel like a circus on wheels- 2 dogs, 2 teens, 1 car-sick cat (and a husband when he’s off work).

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      2. We do have some cute pictures of Labradors sprawled across her lap. As for Reeses, we’ve learned with time and many trips the things that help reduce the motion sickness. Having her in the front seat with the sunroof open has helped tremendously; unfortunately curvy country roads are inevitable and that is usually what sets her tummy spiraling.

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  10. Nancy and I were talking about this very subject yesterday—with a federal government shutdown looming. “What does God have in store for America?” I wondered out loud. I don’t imagine He’s happy with all He sees going on. Signs of the times, indeed. 🙏May we be like those folks from the Bible who knew what their country should do. Repentance sounds like a good starting place.

    😁Abbi in the front 💺 seat and behind the wheel.

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    2. I couldn’t agree more, David. Your comment brought to mind 2 Chronicles 7:14- “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land .” I can’t imagine He is very happy about what He is seeing in the American church either. So Adi’s “spot” in the van is between the driver/passenger seat so she usually hops into one of those seats knowing she’ll get her “prime position.”

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  11. Glen Buckwalter's avatar Glen Buckwalter

    The lesson is so timely in so many ways. Timely for me individually in the fall of life. Timely for our divided nation who is going down the wrong destructive path according to wrong desires. A timely reminder that Jesus will return soon and I must be ready.
    Thank you!

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    1. Thank you so very much GW! That means a lot coming from someone whom I have such respect for as a writer and who I know is a son of Issachar. Last month I watched a docudrama by Kevin Sobel called “Before the Wrath.” In it was presented a multiplicity of statistics by Pew Research and Barna group on the state of the church. The statistic that blew me away was the percentage of Christians who don’t believe (maybe cause they have never been told) that Jesus is returning. Then my heart broke when I realized the state of Biblical illiteracy that must be in place for such a statistic to exist. How tragic not to advised and encouraged by Titus 2:11-14.

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