To everything under the sun there is a time and a season. These seasons bring about changes in our lives, attitudes, status, positions, hopes, dreams, and priorities. Some of these seasons are like springtime when the grass is green, the flowers are blooming, the rain is soft and sweet, and the little animals come out to play. In fact, the world may seem like a playground. We go about feeling the cool breeze as we dream of swinging higher and higher. Everything is wonderful in its own way.
The hot summer season watches us stew and steam in the smoldering heat as we go about our days and nights. The discomfort of this season reminds me of the smothering situations of life that make it difficult to breathe as we keep gasping for air. This can be an unsettling time when things are not going well. We wonder, “Where is God to cool us off?”
The fall season brings more beauty and balance and helps us get a grip on the situations that have easily beset us. Soothing and tantalizing fragrances waft to our nostrils and enhance the appreciation for the colors of the falling leaves, and the beauty of the earth and sky. Crises and circumstances seem a bit more under control and things calm down to a pace that we’re able to master. Life is not so unbearable. We can enjoy the crisply blowing winds that cool us down to a manageable temperature. Not a bad season at all.
Winter reminds me of the quiet, dormant, still, even cozy and cuddly settling down from the ups and downs of life into a place of quiet rest and anticipation for a new tomorrow. We can cover ourselves with the light wraps of thought-provoking activities and daydreams of the impending festivals and celebrations to come.
Maybe you’re in between seasons or just can’t recognize which season of life you’re in. It gets that way sometimes. With all the confusion, question marks, unrest, upheaval, distress, oppression, depression, confusion, agitation, aggravation, and even hesitation you may be experiencing, you may ask, “What’s going on, Lord? Why is life like this for me? Did You forget about me, God? Am I important to You, Jesus? What if this or that does not work out for me?”
Questions, questions! We all have questions. But thank goodness, there are answers. When life is a mess and people are disturbing you; when the bills are due and your health is failing; when your children are acting crazy and your loved one is gone; when your boss is unfair and your work environment is not a sanctuary; when you talk to your friends about your problems, but they have problems of their own; when you are disappointed and disillusioned about life and you don’t know where to turn, there is a message for you: “Baby, God will make a way!”
Pray and seek the Lord about which season of life you’re in and ask Him how to recognize the sweetness, joy, hope, faith, tenderness, and love that’s wrapped up in it—whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall. When you trust in Him, He will wake you up to the reality that life is not nearly as rough and rugged as we’ve been taught to believe. When you arise every day and your name is not in the obituaries, it’s a great day! Just ask people who have lived after the doctor said they were dying: getting up is a blessing! Every eight seconds or so when we bat our eyes we have been given another eight seconds to draw in our wondering minds and conclude, “I have another chance to alter the course of my life and change my burdensome season to a brighter day.”
Now is a glorious opportunity to start your season all over again. No, the circumstances might not change, but you have a choice to change your attitude from the doldrums of the cold winter season of your life to the beauty of the springtime or fall. First Peter 5:6-7 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (NKJV). Wow! What an opportunity to delight in your season whatever the climate—because whatever you’re going through, there’s been someone else on the journey who decided to bask in the beauty of springtime, to chill in the heat of the summertime, to rejuvenate in the elegance of the autumn time, and to regroup in the warmth of a protective covering in the dead of the wintertime. So, rise and shine, because it is true that every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before—anytime!
By Thelma Wells (©2009, 2017 Thelma Wells, All Rights Reserved.)
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