I have to confess: I have taken way too many photos of all the snowfalls we have recently received at Princeton. The other day, as I browsed through my frosted photos, I decided to scroll back a few months to reminisce on the scenic moments I had captured throughout fall semester. Upon reaching November and October, I found myself entranced by the red, orange, and yellow leaves that embellished Cannon Green. At September and August, nostalgia consumed me as I marveled at how green and lively campus was during move-in, orientation, and First Day of Class, or FDOC. Each photo serves as a moment in time, a snippet of a season, which brought to my attention an often-overlooked truth: seasons always change.
The concept of seasons is not just confined to nature and temperature changes, as it also applies to life in general — Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Life is full of innumerable seasons: of laughing, of weeping, of seeking, and of losing, to name a few. Every season teaches us to better appreciate the wonderfully crazy mess that makes up life. Without our “bad seasons,” we would not fully realize the delights of our “good seasons;” without our “good seasons,” we would be less motivated to conquer our “bad seasons,” forgetting there is a better day right around the corner. Our seasons always seem to challenge and teach us in some way, and we just have to strive to grow through them.
Right now, I am sure many of you are in a season of waiting. Waiting to hear back from colleges; waiting to see what the next phase of your life will look like. I was there a year ago, and let me just say, I completely understand how you are feeling. And let me also say, everything is going to be okay.
Though this season may feel endless, know that decision day will finally arrive, and soon enough, you will be looking back and wishing time would slow down. No matter the emotions you are currently experiencing or the decision that pops up that day, just know that you are loved, you are important, and in the end, everything is going to be okay.
I am sure you are probably thinking, “Of course this boy thinks everything is going to be okay. He got into Princeton!” I know it sounds cliché, but truly, when I tell you everything is going to be okay, I mean it and know it wholeheartedly.
Life has a funny way of working out. As long as you keep your head up, put one foot in front of the other, remain determined, and have even the smallest amount of faith, you can do more than you ever thought possible. I am rooting for you!
All this to say, as you look outside and see the leaves change, the snow fall, or the earliest sights of spring start to bloom, remember that the seasons of life always change and you are going to be okay.