“For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal; a
time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and time
to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to
refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose; a
time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew; a
time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate; a
time for war, and a time for peace.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
I’ve been
thinking a lot about seasons lately, not the literal seasons of winter, spring,
summer and fall, but the seasons of life. We all go through various seasons of
life, some good and some bad, some productive, and some dry. One thing we do
know about seasons is that they come, they go, and they change. Some seasons seem better than others, but most
of us will experience the ones we like and the ones we don’t like at some point
in our lives. Often we compare winter to a hard season and spring to a
profitable, new season. In this blog put aside those normal metaphors because
that is not what is being compared here. What I want to focus on is the seasons
that don’t seem right to us, they are out of place.
Today as I
was driving home from the grocery store I passed a beautiful plum tree
blooming, not long after, I passed a dogwood tree in full bloom. I thought to
myself, these seasons are all confused. It is winter but the trees think it is
spring, they’ve got this season all wrong! What is going on? There is supposed
to be snow falling, not white specks of pollen flying in the wind! Instantly a blog post began forming in my mind
about seasons, not just regular seasons but the seasons of life we go through
that seem wrong or are supposed to (in our minds and understanding) be another
way!
I think it
is normal for all of us to have expectations of what our lives will be like. I
remember an activity in school where I had to write where I thought I would be
in 5 years, 10 years, and 20 years. We have goals, we have dreams, we have
plans. However, sometimes life doesn’t take us where we think it will.
Sometimes God has a different (read that better) plan than we come up with on
our own. No one goes around hoping they come to a difficult season in life. You
may be in one right now, maybe you lost a job, or can’t get a job, maybe you
lost a loved one, maybe your circumstance are just hard and you have to force
yourself to keep going despite the hardships. Maybe you are in a season of
waiting (I think this is one of the most difficult seasons). When you are in a
difficult season it seems like you will never get out, but remember it is just
a season and God is faithful, He will be with you through that season. Remind
yourself that seasons change, they usually don’t stay the same for too long!
You may be
thinking, “I should have had my dream job by now, that is how it was supposed
to work!” Or “I thought I would have 10
kids by now” that is how my life was supposed to be! “I thought I’d be married by now, that is how
it is supposed to be.” “I thought I would be able to retire by now, that is how
it is supposed to be.” “I thought I would have enough money to buy a house by
now, that is how it is supposed to be.” The list could go on and on. We get our
dreams and our expectations in our heads and when they don’t happen the way we
envision we get upset. “That is not how it was supposed to be!”
So if you
find yourself in spring but it is supposed to be winter (or any other
combination of seasons) what should you do?
- · Remember that God is with you no matter what season you are in.
“The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
fortress.” Psalm 46:11 (Read all of Psalm 46)
“…be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will
never leave you or forsake you.”
- · Don’t grow weary of the season you are in.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season
we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
- · Give your burdens to Him when in a difficult/unplanned season
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
“The Lord is near to the broken hearted and
saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
- · Wait expectantly for a new season (even if you have to wait a long time)
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take
courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14
“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”
Psalm 39:7
- · Be ready to tell others about Jesus in whatever season you find yourself.
“preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;
reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” 2 Timothy
4:2
- · Rejoice no matter what season you are in. Understand that God uses hard seasons to help you grow to be more like Him.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Philippians
4:4
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of
various kinds, for you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4
And if you
find yourself in the season you thought you would be in at this moment in life,
rejoice in it, enjoy it, and keep alert and watchful so you are prepared for
the next season that is coming. It might not be what is was supposed to be, but
there is hope despite what we thought. We might just get to see a beautiful
plum tree in the winter, though it seems out of place, it is right where God
has it and for that we can be thankful. “The heart of man plans his way, but
the Lord establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
