Reason For the Season

When I was little I loved Summer. Lived for it. No school.Smell of Sunscreen. Swimming. Snow cones.Tans.Trips to the beach. But somewhere along the way that changed. 

Everything's too crowded with no school. Sunscreen stinks. Sugar in snow cones makes me dizzy. Too much heat makes my muscles hurt. I do however, still LOVE swimming and going to the beach...(if Dave Ramsey allows us to)

Now, the cool weather I used to despise I actually look forward to which makes me LOVE fall and winter even more.Stepping outside without immediately breaking into a sweat?..Yes, please. 

Fall with its Thanksgiving food. Scarves. Hats. Cuddly rainy days. Pumpkin pie. Running through crunchy leaves (yes I still do that) And Winter with the Smell of cinnamon. Possibility of actually using our fireplace.Everything Christmas (my favorite!). Hope of snow.Twinkling lights. Family.Joy!

Whatever season you favor we can all agree on one thing:Seasons change.

 

Everyone is going through some season in their life right now. Seasons of pain and heartache.Anger and fear.Loss and loneliness.Growth and confusion.Joy and life change. Seasons of excitement and new discoveries. Yep, life is full of seasons. Full of change.

 

When I first got sick a little over 3 years ago I experienced a crazy potpourri of seasons...and not the good smelling kind.I experienced confusion,pain,fear,anxiety,depression, and anger (to name a few). 

It was like a roller coaster ride named "The Seasons Cyclone" that I couldn't remember waiting in line for.Not the fun kind either,No this was a 'full of unpleasant jerks-unnecessary turns-unexpected plunges- and make you want to hurl when your stomach decides to stay behind'  ride. 

 

As much as I didn't understand (or want) it then, I see now that it was a necessary season. A season that brought undeniable change. Needed change. I learned my faith had to be placed in something that never changes or it's not worth putting faith in.

 

"Don't ever let your happiness depend on something that can be taken away from you." -CS LEWIS

 

Nothing in this world is totally secure and unchangeable. Jobs change, health changes, wants change, needs change, children grow, people move away... 

Whether you like it or not... Change Is. Going. To. Happen. Sometimes subtle, sometimes radical but it's never going to stop and ask you if you're ready for it...It is, by all definitions, Inevitable. Funny how we're often shocked by it when God promised it'd come. (John 16:33) 

With seasons of life always changing doesn't anything stay permanent? YES!

IN CHRIST.

God doesn't change.When the winds blown, He stays grounded. When the leaves fall, He's unmoved."For I am the Lord, I change not" Malachi 3:6 

His character is constant. It won't change,it can't! He remains faithful.Immovable.Merciful.He will protect you.Sustain you.Deliver you.

I don't know what season of life you're going through right now but whether it's the highest joy or lowest despair you can have hope in the fact that God is there with you.He walks before you, beside you.He knows your heart.He understands your pain. You may not hear, see, or feel him at times...but the severity of your season didn't change God's ability to bring you through it. I learned that the hard way. So many times I felt like God was gone, like he didn't hear me...didn't care. But I see now he was always there.He heard. He always cares. 

God is working in this hard season of change in your life, just like He was in the good ones. If He's silent, it's for a reason. He's teaching you something. The teacher is always silent during the test right? Another word for change is refinement or advancement.God is doing something! Trust Him.

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

All seasons are temporary. Some longer than others but eventually they will change. I may still be in a season of physical pain and sickness but my outlook is different, the emotions have changed. The season of anger,depression, fear, and anxiety have been changed to joy, hope, stability, and confidence. Not confidence in myself but in who God is.Who He always will be.

You will get through your season. Trust me. I wanted that season of my life to end as soon as it started but if it did I never would have learned what I have.The things I've learned about myself, about God, about my faith, and who I am in Christ never would have happened if I hadn't experienced those seasons of hurt. It was vital to my character. Crucial to my heart.God saw the potential when all I saw was the pain. He did what I couldn't. It's completely changed my life for the better. I know it doesn't feel like it right now. But your season will change & it will be worth it. 

Take my advice and don't be so anxious to get pass this season of your life that you miss out on what God is trying to show you. See it as an opportunity to trust in Him, to grow in faith.

"For everything there is a season" Ecclesiastes 3:1

Take heart. Have Hope. One day you will see the reason for the season.

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8