Seasons

 Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

Melancholy hovered over me. A sense of heaviness came close, lingering. Here I am, in a season that is stretching me, teaching me lessons that I sometimes don’t want to learn. But I breathe in and out deeply for I know that I must be a student of the season.  I do know that I don’t want to miss what God is doing now, waiting aimlessly for the next thing. I want to celebrate what He is doing in this season. I want to be grateful for all the jewels of this season. I want to have eyes to recognize the gifts of this season. God makes everything beautiful in its time. This season is refining me, molding me into the likeness of Christ. Gratitude is my offering. I  choose to meditate on the promises of God. I choose to be fully present, right here, right now.

Here are the lessons that I am learning in this season.

1.      God is a keeping God. He never lets me down. He is strong and steady, carrying me to safety, rescuing me from myself. I am grateful that He is good and faithful. He has brought me through many storms and valleys, but He has always ensured that I made it through. He is good and He does only good.

2.      Enjoy the time spent with loved ones. Time is the most valuable asset. It can’t be recaptured once it is gone. I am in a season where I am often around my family, and I am so grateful for that. I can create many memories with them and I can bask in their love and affection.

3.      Cry out to Jesus in times of loneliness. The Word says that He is close to the brokenhearted and He rescues those whose spirits are crushed( Psalm 34:18). There are times in which I feel alone but during those times I am learning to cry out to Jesus. I am learning to lean onto him, crawl into His lap, and simply abide in His presence. He is the constant companion.

4.      Celebrate! Life is a precious gift.  I am learning to celebrate the small blessings and the larger ones. Having an attitude of celebration reorients me back to gratitude and causes me to count my blessings and name them one by one.

5.      Keep a journal. I have been keeping journals since my childhood and it is a wonderful practice. I write my prayers down in a prayer journal. Prayer journals are my primary form of prayer and communion with God. Keeping a prayer journal is a great grounding resource and helps me have a written record of God’s faithfulness. I can see my thought patterns and how much I have grown or regressed. I can witness God’s hand of grace and mercy in this season and previous seasons of life.

 

God is good, no matter what season of life we are in. He is constant and steadfast. In every season, He is faithful. Sometimes I might long to be in another season of life, but God gives good gifts to His children. He knows when we can handle the good gifts that He brings. He is interested in developing our character so that when He takes us to the next season of life, we will be able to thrive.  Let us not grumble or complain. Let us open our eyes to the numerous blessings of the season that we are in. Let gratitude be our offering. Let praise be our anthem. God is good and He is faithful in every season.