Thursday Thoughts: Seasons Change, Love Remains
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
— Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)
Good morning, family. I know it’s been a while. I took the last few weeks of December to rest and reset, and now here we are halfway through January, trying to get back into the rhythm of life.
The holiday season has always been a difficult time for me, and I know I’m not alone in that. Over the years, this season has carried tremendous loss. As a young man, I walked through a stretch of about seven years where someone close to my heart passed away and was buried between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those memories linger.
As life moved forward, divorce came, children grew up, and the holidays began to look different. Christmas isn’t what it used to be. Traditions we held for more than twenty years are changing. The torch has been passed. The next generation is stepping into hosting, into leading, into creating their own traditions. And now I find myself learning how to step back, how to adapt, how to find my place within what is new.
That kind of change isn’t easy. It’s hard to let go of routines that have shaped decades of our lives. For many years, my home was the gathering place. Now my brother has a young child, and it’s his turn. My children are grown, finishing school, building relationships, starting their own journeys. And while that is beautiful, it also requires me to change.
Scripture reminds us that Jesus Himself came to disrupt deeply rooted traditions.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
— Matthew 10:34–36 (ESV)
When Jesus came, He challenged systems that had become idols. The Pharisees and Sadducees had turned faith into law, and law into condemnation. They sat as judges, deciding who could and could not enter the kingdom of God. Their legalism left no room for grace.
“There is none righteous, no, not one.”
— Romans 3:10 (ESV)
Jesus changed the season. He turned the page. He showed us that salvation was not found in tradition, performance, or control, but in surrender.
And while the world today looks nothing like it did two thousand years ago, one truth remains unchanged: Christ remains the same.
So I remind myself that even though seasons change, even though roles shift and traditions evolve, family remains family. My children will always be my children. And just as surely, we are always God’s children.
No matter the season—whether it is joy-filled or heavy with grief, full of clarity or clouded by silence—our Father in heaven loves us. Whether He feels close or distant, He has not moved.
If the story of Christ teaches us anything, it is that very little in this world stays the same. Times shift. People grow. Seasons pass.
But the love of Christ remains.
The faithfulness of our Father remains.
The blood of Christ remains.
Jesus came for the shepherds two thousand years ago.
He came for us today.
And He has already come for generations not yet born.
So whatever season you are walking through—whether you welcome it or resist it—hold fast to this truth: the love of God does not change when life does.
Prayer
Father, thank You for walking with us through every season of life. When traditions change and hearts feel heavy, remind us that You remain constant. Help us trust You in transition, cling to You in uncertainty, and rest in the unchanging love given to us through Christ. In Christ’s name.
Takeaway
Seasons change. Traditions shift. Roles evolve.
But the love of Christ never does.
Hold fast to what remains when everything else moves.
