Every Thursday I feature a “throwback” post from my blog archive. The goal is to look back and discover new lessons or opportunities to grow. This week, we’ll look at “Nothing is Wasted” You can view the original post here. For today, here’s a quick recap and a few more thoughts about our appreciating the season you’re in.

“Nothing is Wasted” recaps an experience I had while driving home from the beach right before my family and I left Charleston to move to Colorado. I started the post with a simple statement: “I’m a cold-weather guy.” In Charleston, cold weather is a rare experience, and seeing snow is like finding a yeti riding a unicorn while carrying a pot of gold. 

When my family and I moved to Colorado and later Nebraska, I was excited about the opportunity to get to experience these cold-related things more frequently. I couldn’t wait to build snowmen, make snow angels, and throw snowballs. It was going to be amazing. And, it is. I love having seasons and experiencing what each new season has to offer. However, this winter changed my perspective a little. I noticed that at the tail end of winter, I was OV-ER IT. (Really get into each of those syllables as you read that so you can understand how over it I truly was.) It seemed like every day was gloomy and dreary and winter just dragged on and on. Eventually, I found myself despising the very things I was looking forward to about moving away from Charleston. 

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Here’s what I am learning today: excess always leads to depreciation. This applies to every area of life. When we have too much of a good thing, we fail to appreciate it as we should. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about weather, food, money, or experiences. Excess always leads to depreciation. 

I recently had a milestone birthday and my family bought me a really fancy birthday cake. I cut myself a huge slice and dove in. It was delicious and I loved it. Also, I did not finish my slice. It was too much! Over the next few days, we finished eating the cake in much smaller portions and haven’t had birthday cake since. Do I still love birthday cake? Of course! I’m not a monster. But I know this, if you have birthday cake every day, when your birthday comes around, you probably won’t want birthday cake.

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Today, I am resting in the truth that God blesses us generously. He regularly gives me things that my heart is longing for. They can be big things like life-giving relationships down to the smaller things like a day of perfect weather. We all have longings in our hearts and God allows us to experience the fulfillment of those longings in ways that bring joy and give us hope. However, we have to remember that these longings will not be fully fulfilled until we are with Him in eternity. On this side of heaven, those moments where he gives us a small taste of the longings of our hearts are just a preview of what is to come. So, enjoy those moments while they’re here. When you experience that perfect moment pause, sit in it, and thank God for giving you a taste of what is to come. 

Today, spring is finally here and I am loving it. Soon it will be summer and honestly, I can’t wait. But, I know that about a month into 90-degree humid days, I’ll be longing for the fall and the crisp clean air that comes along with it. I’ll remind myself that “I’m a cold-weather guy.” I’ll look forward to the snow that winter brings and be excited for that first dusting. Eventually, my bones will start to hurt and I’ll long for the warmer days. As I move through those seasons, I hope that I’ll pause along the way to be thankful for the moments. Hopefully, I’ll recognize that God is moving and speaking in every moment and every season. And hopefully, instead of longing for the next season, I’ll find myself being grateful for the one I’m in. It’s true that God does not waste a single moment. What moment could he be using to speak to you today?