Well, it’s officially been the “Fall” season here in SoCal for almost a month. And do you know what that means? Well, it means something different here than it does in almost every other state in America. It means our brownish lawns (due to the water shortage) actually look acceptable. The brownish hue to our mountains seem to be promising that they are just in hibernation and will burst forth with beautiful green come the Spring. It means that we still hit the 90’s several times a week. Literally, I’m serious…at this very minute, my weather app tells me it’s a balmy 89 degrees outside, with tomorrow and Friday promising to hit in the low 90’s, then by the weekend it’ll creep down to a chilly 80 degrees on Sunday. Really people, my heart just did a little happy dance because on Monday & Tuesday next week, it says we’ll have a high of 73 degrees and…wait for it…RAIN! TWO DAYS of RAIN IN A ROW!! A change of season…
Okay, okay….I’m calm now. Honestly, I know that just because it is forecasted to actually be cold (yeah I know…72 isn’t actually cold, just go with me here) and rainy next week, it could change. I won’t be too surprised, but I’ll be disappointed. When we think of all the seasons in our own life, we could say the same thing. The things that we have planned are amazing and exciting. Then things that are completely out of our control happen, and we are sad, angry, irritated, feeling let down, and may walk around in a fog for a bit wondering if the sun will come out? Will our season change to a better one?
Even though we are surprised and challenged by the seasons in our life, God never is.
The verses in Psalm 139:15-16 are a perfect and beautiful example of what I mean by this. Actually, the entire chapter of Psalm 139 is full of promise and faithfulness. Read these intentional words and let them sink in to your soul…
“My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.” (Amplified Version).
God saw our whole life before we were born; before we began to add to our own story; before everything! He is absolutely a loving God and His heart breaks when we sin, when we choose to walk a different way than what we know to be right. He does not rejoice in our suffering. He does not anticipate with glee any hardship we go through. He is good…He always has been and He always will be.
There are plenty of times in my own life when I doubted God’s goodness. When kids in high school spread rumors about me and my friends did not come to my defense. When the people I thought were my friends actually began believing those lies and never came to talk to me about it. When the boy I thought wanted to marry me, changed his mind and moved to another state. When plans would not work out like I wanted them to and it meant taking a harder road to accomplish various goals. When our family hit hard times and had major financial difficulties. When other kids were horribly mean to my children and appeared to get away with the damage they caused. When my mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, and good friends, all went through cancer (and thankfully beat it!). When my aunt and other other friends and family members were ravaged by cancer and did not make it through. So many things happen in our life that we don’t understand.
In all these seasons, God was there. God knew what was going to happen, how it was going to happen, why it happened, and how it was going to end.
And all of these tough seasons have brought incredible fruit to my life that I wouldn’t have otherwise tasted. I know the importance of speaking up when lies are being spoken. I know the indelible imprint you will make in a friends life when you believe their story. I know the vigilance that is needed to keep our kids safe. I know the joy and harmony that God brought me in the man that HE intended for me to marry. I know the humble gratitude of the anonymous grocery store gift card arriving in my mailbox at exactly the right moment. I know the peace and relief when a friend or family member is healed of a disease. And I know the mourning of friend and family member, will turn to dancing when I see them again in Heaven.
I’m not going to sugarcoat anything here and tell you that I always handled myself in a spiritually sound way. Nope! Many many times I cried to God how unfair life was. How unfair He was! After all, if He loves me so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for me, why in the heck do I have to go through a bunch of garbage in my life? Why does life seem to be easier for other people than it does for me and our family?
Sadly, many times I reverted to a season of being a whiny little baby. Instead of going for the meat of God’s Word to fulfill and sustain me, I chose ice cream and candy bars. And where did that get me? In a new cycle of self-hate and doubt that I would never matter to anyone or amount to anything. I vacuumed up all the lies Satan was sprinkling out before me. He was tickled pink by my decisions toward destruction, while my loving Heavenly Father was heartsick that I was not turning to Him. How selfish I was.
The brightest star that God created is the Sun. It is one singular orb that illuminates the entire world. Not all at once, not all with the same intensity, but with distinct purpose, direction, and intention. If we had sunlight all the time we would suffer from heat exhaustion, burns, and drought…just to name a few. We would not know the joy of a cool evening breeze on our face, or the intense radiant beauty of a sky filled with stars on a cloudless night.
Think about your favorite season? I personally love it when it stays between 65-75. I am not a heat-loving person. But if I never experienced heat, I wouldn’t know the complete bliss of wrapping up in a warm blanket with a cup of tea on a chilly night in winter. (Yeah…it happens a few times a year!).
Even when we are encountering a stressful season, where things seem bleak and spiritually torturous…God can and will bring the rain, the cool breeze, the warm blanket. It is possible to have peace within the storm. I’ve lived through enough storms of every level, that I undoubtedly know this is true. When I am faced with tough seasons now, I am much quicker to run to the Father. To read His love letter of scripture, to pray and allow the Holy Spirit to pour out the oil of gladness over my soul, to fix my eyes and gaze on His holiness ~ that is the beginning of living peaceful in the midst of the storm.
Every part of the earthly creation comes to play with our spiritual story. God created the world very specifically with incredibly detailed functions. He created light and dark, day and night, man and woman, and seasons. We are created with the same distinction and purpose. We are meant to grow and change, to rejoice in the knowledge of who God is and how we are to honor and glorify Him with our life.
Reading through a bible study on Ecclesiastes is a wonderful reminder of just that. Christian or not, most everyone is familiar with the beginning words from Ecclesiastes chapter 3, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:” ~ not just some moments in time, but in every single moment. In some ways going through this study, I feel like I’m reading Ecclesiastes for the first time and I’m loving it! It is proof once more that the scripture God fashioned into the Bible we have known for centuries now, is just like He is…the same today, yesterday and forever. Take a moment to read through the book of Ecclesiastes and see what I mean!
I believe the main purpose for the changing seasons of our life is to constantly bring us back to the knowledge that God alone is the sustainer of our life and the ONLY ONE who can fill the gaps and emptiness we experience. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”
God alone satisfies our every desire, wish, want, and need. He is the director and perfecter of the seasons in our life. Allow Him to till the soil of your heart, to plant the goodness of His Word, and to harvest the completion of that work that He started in you before you were born.
Live blessed and live loved, in every season, by the God who created the Universe. He took His time with you ~ now take your time with Him.
Blessings,
René
{all scripture verses are taken from the Amplified Bible Version}
Broken & Blessed~Adventures in Gratutide! 