*Pastor’s Note: Helen Steiner Rice (1900-1981) was an influential American writer of inspirational and Christian poetry. She wrote and sold millions of books of her verses. Her poetry is quoted almost everywhere. My prayer is that you will be blessed and inspired by her poetry as much as I am.

THE SOUL, LIKE NATURE, HAS SEASONS, TOO

When you feel cast down and despondently sad
And you long to be happy and carefree and glad,
Do you ask yourself, as I so often do,
Why must there be days that are cheerless and blue?
Why is the song silenced in the heart that was gay?
And then I ask God what makes life this way,
And His explanation makes everything clear—
The soul has its seasons the same as the year.
Man too must pass through life’s autumn of death
And have his heart frozen by winter’s cold breath,
But spring always comes with new life and birth,
Followed by summer to warm the soft earth . . .
And oh, what a comfort to know there are reasons
That souls, like nature, must too have their seasons—
Bounteous seasons and barren ones, too,
Times for rejoicing and times to be blue . . .
For with nothing but sameness how dull life would be,
For only life’s challenge can set the soul free . . .
And it takes a mixture of both bitter and sweet
To season our lives and make them complete.

From The Poems and Prayers of Helen Steiner Rice: Poetry by Hele Steiner Rice. Used by permission. All rights reserved.