Seasons

If you have gotten to know me for very long you know that I absolutely love the fall. I love everything about it. I love the cooler weather, the color changing of the leaves, football games, the food (I am a foodie at heart after all), and throw in my birthday for extra measure. Today, I was sharing my love of fall with my wife and she asked if there was anything I didn't like about fall. At first I thought no but then I remembered I really do not like all the scary stuff with Halloween so I guess even fall is not perfect.

We all have our favorite season. It may be because of the change of weather, the memories that have been formed, or the memories that we are looking forward to creating in the new season. I love that I have lived in the midwest for most of my life because if you're sick of one season, there is a new one coming. Each one has it's blessings and downsides. Come on, even winter has beauty in the morning after snow has covered the ground.

You and I go through different seasons in life. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under the sun."

There are stages of life and then there are seasons in life. A stage is when you are going through different milestones in your life. You could be in the high school stage, early marriage, or retirement. In each stage, just like the seasons, there are things we can enjoy and there are things that are a challenge. I have learned (especially after the birth of our girls) there is something to enjoy in each stage of life. If we look past any one stage we will miss out in the joy of that stage and we will never be ever to relive it. 

You will never be able to relive your senior year, so enjoy it! You will never be able to relive the first few years of your marriage, so enjoy it! You will never be able to relive the early years of your kids life, so enjoy it! This can apply to any stage of life we may be in.

This is what Ecclesiastes encourages us to do later on in verses 11 - 12. "God has made everything beautiful in it's own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end."

In every stage, there are many seasons we can experience as well. These are typically spiritual in nature. They are times when we go through different things that God may be taking us through. Life is full of seasons. They come, they go, we learn, and there is an opportunity for growth as a result of these different seasons.

On the website iBelieve.com, Courtnaye Richard defines 6 different seasons we can experience. The dry season, the waiting season, the busy season, the test and trial season, the spiritual warfare season, and the happy season.

We see many of the biblical characters through the bible go through these seasons as we do in life. In every season, God is doing a work in our life and in each season there is joy to be found if we look.

1. The Dry Season - When we feel God is quiet and you do not sense his presence. In the dry season, we go back to God and allow him to remove anything that is hindering us from knowing him more. 

2. The Waiting Season - God uses this season to prepare us and help us draw closer to him for whatever is coming. When we wait on him, our strength will be renewed.

3. The Busy Season - We can value being busy in the american culture but if we find ourselves in a busy season we need to stop and ask am I missing something? In these seasons, God has taught me what it means to rest in him, to trust him, and how to have a better rhythm in my life.   

4. The Test and Trial Season - This is the dark valley, the moments that define our lives, and stories. All of us have been through this season. Just like the scripture says before, we do not see the whole scope of our lives like God does. Know that every trial season is the beginning of a testimony of God's goodness to be revealed. Sometimes it can be longer than we want but with enough time we will see God's hand revealed. Keep your eyes on Jesus who was willing to face the greatest test of the cross to bring the victory of the resurrection. 

5. The Spiritual Warfare Season - This is when we we feel attacked spiritually. Here is the good news in this season, we do not fight alone. Actually, it is God who fights on our behalf! This is a season that is won on our knees in prayer and reminding ourselves that the battle is the Lord's.

6. The Happy Season - Maybe life has been good lately and you have experienced a lot of joy. In this season do not forget to give God thanks and praise as you enjoy this season. Remember that "every good and perfect gift comes from the father of lights." 

Whatever stage or season you may find yourself in, find joy in what God is doing in that season and know that it only lasts for so long. Take a look around and thank God for what he is doing in your life. In every season, "God is making it beautiful in his time." Enjoy the journey and find joy in knowing you have a relationship with the king of kings who knows all your days.