Cherish The Seasons

In the last few years, God has revealed a cycle He takes me through to mature me and understanding the process has helped me during the tough times.  I know where I am in the cycle, that any hard times are temporary and that I will come out closer and more like God.  It helps me push through and appreciate everyday.

He begins by guiding me into a new area that can use improvement or needs healing.  It's usually revealed it to me in situations where I am uncomfortable or where my 'normal' decisions cause an outcome that isn't ideal (think banging my head up against the wall over and over and over).  

Once I realize this can't be the best way, I seek out the better way…..I ask God 'what are you trying to teach me?'  It usually takes going through a similar situation multiple times before I get my answer.  The lesson can be revealed through a sermon, a friend, the Bible, or sometimes He just shows me.  Then He teaches me how to walk in my new knowledge, how to make it my new normal.

The process is not easy, but God is gentle and kind throughout.  Even when it is very, very hard, I am now usually able to trust that He is showing me only what I am ready to see and stretching me no further than I can handle.  He gives me the grace I need to change and mature.  

It's a long process that requires a lot of trust, obedience, energy, patience and tenacity on my part, but it is worth it.  In the end, I know God better, I am a truer reflection of Jesus and I am a few steps closer to who He created me to be.  By the end, I am also in need of some R&R. :)  God is amazing and gives me the time I need to let these new saplings of truth continue to mature and take full root before moving on to the next area.  

I understand it even better since God has shown me that it's a wonderful cycle of growth, reflecting nature and the progression trees go through each year.  

In spring the sunshine and rising temperatures allow trees to be fed a heavy diet of melting snow and ice, allowing a time of fast growth.  They are heavy with flowers, foreshadowing the upcoming harvest.  In summer, the new growth has matured into a deep green and growth moves toward producing fruit rather than increasing the size of the tree.  In fall, the harvest has passed and the growth has stopped.  With the first cold snap, the tree prepares for the harsh season ahead by making a beautiful show of shedding the leaves that were the celebrated new growth just months earlier.  The shedding of leaves protects the tree from the necessary snow and ice that is coming.  The winter is a time of rest and preparation for spring that will cause new growth and more fruit than the previous year.

God is an amazing designer and architect.  Each season has a distinct and important function and we cannot grow properly without going through the entire process.  See the seasons in your life for what the are….preparation and growth.  Although the cold isolation of winter can feel raw and painful, it's needed to prepare you for the exponential growth, the harvesting of fruit and the beauty of shedding our old self.

Whatever season you may be in, please friend, remember it is just that….a season.  It will not last forever.  Relish the mountain top experiences of spring, summer and fall, push through the valleys of winter and, most importantly, cherish the lessons learned from both and keep moving forward.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

For everything there is a season,

A time for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to harvest.

A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to cry and a time to laugh.

A time to grieve and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

A time to search and a time to quit searching.

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear and a time to mend.

A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate.

A time for war and a time for peace.