I always think of June as the beginning of summer. I know that is not the official start, but it has a feeling of change. The weather turns hot, the school year is over, children will begin their summer break, and families will take vacations. May/June has an “ending and beginning” feel to it. The parallel spiritual principle is this: one season must end before a new one can begin.
In Scott Peck’s book, “The Road Less Travelled,” he articulates this principle through his eyes as a psychiatrist. When people come to the therapist for treatment of depression, he says they are “involved in a giving-up, or growth process,” that is, their depression is signaling that a major change is needed for them to be cured. But most people don’t really want to change—they just want things to be the way they used to be. With remarkably spiritual insight, Peck goes on to say, patients are not yet consciously willing or ready to recognize that the “old self” and “the way things used to be” are outdated. Unwilling to let go of the old things, their depression is prolonged.
Before Jesus’ ministry, John the Baptist announced the new thing that was about to happen—the beginning of a new season: the Kingdom of God. He said “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Jesus began His ministry He said the same thing (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). Paul reiterated this principle: “Put off the old self which is being corrupted… and put on the new self” (Eph 4:22, 24). Maybe someone reading this today needs to ask God "what needs to change in my life before I can begin this new season?"
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