Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
The seasons are definitely changing here in Michigan. We are wearing longer clothing and we even dug out the hats and mittens to walk to the bus stop yesterday.
This morning, I started thinking about the different seasons of my life. I am in an unusual season right now and I'm not sure how to describe it. There are changes happening within me. I am closer to God than ever before, which is a great thing! I long to spend time with Him and when I don't have my morning time with Him, the rest of my day seems off balance.
Things around me are changing too. My kids are in school more. We are moving out of the preschool stages and into full time school. It is scary for me! That is all I have known for the last seven years. I loved having the kids at home. Don't get me wrong, there were days I watched the clock move slowly towards bed time and it couldn't come fast enough. But, I have adjusted to being a stay at home mom. For the most part, it suits me just fine! As the kids are in school more, I begin to wonder what will I do during my next season? I am turning to God for guidance and answers.
I know that God is working in my life. He has brought new people into my life, and removed others. Sometimes it is painful and sometimes it is a relief. As I grow closer to Him, I see that my old ways were not His ways! This removing of people has also drawn me to Him. I turn to Him as a friend and counselor.
Although most days, I don't feel I am making a huge impact for Him, He is working in me to make me a stronger person. The books that I am reading, the passages of scripture that He brings to mind, the songs I hear and the messages from others all seem to be focused on the same topic. I know it is not coincidence those are God-incidents.
So, during this season, I wait. Waiting on God is not wasted time. I am still seeking Him. I am studying. I am spending time with other Christ-centered people. I am reading scripture. I am using this time to prepare for the next season.
Isaiah 40:31 (New King James Version)
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Lord, as I wait upon you during this season, make my time fruitful. I don't want to waste any of the precious time you have given me. I want to make the most of this season, as I grow closer to you. Please help me to see your path clearly, so that I am following you and not the paths that other people offer to me. Strengthen me so that when your time is perfect, I will be ready. Thank you for your guidance and for the perfect example you set, through your son, Jesus. Amen
Lynnette,
ReplyDeleteOnce again you have captured what we all experience in this journey we call life!
Without the seasons of life... the hard parts along with the easy parts, we would not call on Him and we would be no different... paralyzed by life ... unchanged... stuck in nothingness forever and ever!
Praise God that He has chosen us to be free of that which binds us all!