SEASONS

“He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.” Daniel 2:21-22 NIV

When I started to write down some thoughts on the seasons of life that we all navigate, the first verse that I thought of was from Ecclesiastes. Or for you who love music from the 60’s, the popular song from The Byrds “Turn!Turn!Turn!”, might come to mind. But the theme of seasons is all throughout The Holy Bible.

Just like the seasons of the continent we live on, we all have seasons of life that come and go. Unlike the seasons that bring a change in the weather, the seasons of life don’t always have an expected time or order.

We don’t always have a season of rapid growth (spring) after a dry, cold dead season (winter). Sometimes it seems as though that Phil, the groundhog, will ALWAYS see his shadow upon leaving his burrow and that we are forever stuck in Narnia with the White Witch reigning. We long for the rain and growth that we have been missing for so long. We ache for the warmth of the Son to shine on us. We yearn to be free of something that is keeping us from the season we desperately WANT to be in. But what if we could all just embrace the season of life that we are in, knowing that all seasons have a purpose. Maybe next time, instead of just biding your time in a season that seems to have no purpose, remember that God has a good purpose for all things.

Take time to listen for His guidance. My church is nearing the end of a yearly time of 21 days of Prayer and Fasting, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t participate in this discipline, even if in shorter intervals, throughout the rest of the year. One of my pastors, Ryan Antos, had some wise words last Sunday, “We empty ourselves physically so we can be filled Spiritually”. Just like the seasons of the year, God is in control of the seasons of our lives. If He brings you to a season He will bring you through that season. I pray the we can trust in His timing and have faith in His ways, always.