Seasons of Life

Ecclesiastes 3 teaches us that there are many seasons in life to endure, embrace and enjoy. When I read this popular chapter in the bible it brings me satisfaction to know that I am not experiencing something that someone else has not already experienced, or that God has not already made a way of escape for, a victory, or peace, for when it passes a little faster than I would like. The bible also tells us that there is nothing new under the sun. The same things we go through today, people of the bible, went through too. They experienced the loss of loved ones, attacks from the enemy, the joy of a healthy newborn baby; they celebrated marriages,  and reaped the rewards of their hard work. And with each story that I read, I learn, that whether it was wandering lost in the desert for 40 years, or celebrating a friend’s healing to walk again, God was there.  

As fall is quickly approaching and my morning walks with the Lord are lasting a little longer due to the cooler morning air, I am reminded how the seasons come and go. Just a couple of weeks ago I would start sweating as soon as I walked out the door to take a walk and now it takes me about 2 laps around the cul de sac before I begin to glisten. I know a lot of people have their favorite season, my husband’s is summer, but I truly love them all. I can’t say I love all the weather that comes with each one, but I love watching the colors of the leaves change, the different smells in the air, the promise of new and familiar activities with my family as the time comes and goes. I wish I could say that I loved all season’s of life but alas I do not.

I wish my kids would stay kids just a little bit longer so I can hold and snuggle with them more. As I watch my 83 year old grandmother endure the arthritis and confusion in her last season of life I feel sad and wonder what my last season of life will be like. My boxer, Molly, is also in the last season of her life as she has cancer and is quickly approaching the ripe old age of 11. I just officiated a funeral for a dear sweet woman of God and as I reflect on her life I am certain that the seasons she endured and celebrated were many.

However there are definitely some awesome seasons happening right now too. My teenage boys are in one of the funnest seasons of life. They have established a close group of friends, that they can’t live without on the weekends, and our house has a revolving door of pizza delivery guys and stinky gym feet. When I say stinky, I mean putrid, rank, the most vile smells come from these teenagers that I have ever smelled in my life. However, they clean up nicely and then my entire house smells like AXE spray. My daughter is in a transition season. She will be nine soon and she loves to cuddle but she goes through three different outfits in the morning to get ready for school. She loves wearing a ponytail still, but wants to grow her nails long. She wants a smartphone but she still reads mermaid books. I admit I am enjoying this season very much.  My husband is finally reaping the rewards of all of his years of hard work and he has finally found a company that appreciates his gifts and talents and is rewarding him appropriately. This season has been a long time coming.  I find myself at a crossroad. I feel one season is coming to an end but the next season isn’t quite visible yet so I take advice from God’s Word “be still and know that I am God”.

The thing about seasons is that you can count on them to come and go. I know sometimes, especially here in Virginia, it is hard to tell one season from the other, unless the coffee shop is switching from coconut frappes to pumpkin spice lattes, but you still know when the seasons change. With that being said, I think it is so important to remind ourselves that when we are going through different situations in our life, that at some point, that situation is going to change. If we look at where we were five years ago, chances are, we are not dealing with the same things we are today. If we are then we obviously haven't learned what we were supposed to learn yet. With that being said, 95% of us are probably in a different place in our lives, and we can take from all of this coming and going, that we need to enjoy the good while it is good, don’t anticipate something bad happening, be in the moment and embrace the beauty of it. We need to recognize that it might not last forever, but be grateful that we have that moment, even if just for a season.

On the flip side of that, we have to remember, the same thing about the seasons we go through that aren’t so pleasant. I remember after my husband’s motorcycle accident, he was out of work for a while, it was taking what felt like forever to get his settlement, and our bills were piling up. We both felt like we would be broke forever. We went through a lot during that season of life but God never left us. He guided us, sometimes kicking and screaming, through every rain shower in the midst of the storm. I honestly felt like we would never recover and that we would lose everything. Feelings are deceitful sometimes, and if we give them too much attention, we may follow them down the wrong path, but keeping our eyes on God will lead us from winter right into spring. We did recover, we did not lose everything, and I can see now how I wasted so much time on worry instead of trusting God.

I believe an important lesson we need to learn is that we are never alone. In every season of life that we go through, God is there. He is there in the good times and He is there in the bad times. He is our biggest cheerleader and our greatest comforter. He heals, He delivers, He counsels, He guides, He builds, He redeems, He loves, He provides. I encourage you and myself, to always remember, God is with us. Seasons, are just that, seasons, they come and go, but God is forever.