The one with the candle

Last night, I lit a candle.

Nothing unusual, or even interesting there.  I often burn candles; I love the ambiance they help to create in my home.  The flickering, the scents ...

But last night something changed.  It can't have been the candle, for it had been lit several times previously.  Neither can it have been its position, as it sat on table that had been its home for a while.

Whispered Wish Candle

The change was in my reaction to the scent.  It irritated me.  In fact, it irritated me to such an extent that it had to be blown out.  But I had enjoyed it so much over Christmas.

Over Christmas.  I wondered.  Was that it?  That the candle had been experienced and enjoyed over the Christmas season, and now that was past?  Yes, that was it!  The scent that I had loved so much over Christmas, with its festivities and fun, now felt out of season.  It no longer danced with the lights on the tree as the Christmas music played.  Its 'magic' had gone.

'For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven ...' (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Seasons change.

The candle's season is over, and it needs to be put away.  I wonder how many other things in my life I need to put away?  What am I still holding on to that I need to let go of?  What has become 'out of season' and is now without purpose,  ineffective, restrictive and even irritating?

Which scents do I continue to burn, that mask the aroma of this new season?

What keeps me focusing on the past, diverting my eyes from the reality that God is doing a new thing?

What about you?