Skipper and I always start reflecting this time of year. The year’s end is in sight, and it our favorite season. We love Autumn! The change of the season was really felt this weekend with the cooler temps, and we LOVED it! It was a fun day of reflection as we talked about seasons. Life happens in those seasons. Boy does it ever happen!
Ecclesiastes says there’s a time for everything. Everything has a season.
Good seasons. Bad seasons. Productive seasons. Growth seasons. And seasons of decline.
Seasons of mourning. Grief. Seasons of laughter. Jubilee. Seasons of waiting.
Seasons where there are more obstacles than opportunities. Often followed by seasons of great opportunity.
There are seasons of stretching, where God seems to shape something new in our hearts. And we often don’t know what that new is until we enter another season.
Friendships can even be seasonal. Those friendship seasons have helped us treasure those life long ALL season friendships more than ever and truly go in with our eyes wide open in making new ones. We learned! But we are thankful for what those seasons taught us about those friendships and how they stretched us. We have talked to many this year who have been hurt by people, hurt by people trusted deeply. What do you do with that hurt? All the questions of “how could they” and “why” creep in. We understand, and we have also walked out those seasons. But what we realized more than ever….even in the midst of hurt, broken trust, and sadness is…. God never wastes a hurt and he never wastes a season…or a friendship! It is through that pain that we have learned to trust differently, love deeper, and trust God in a deeper way.
Seasons change and so do the people walking in those seasons. But that’s not always a bad thing. Growth and learning is key. Not to stay stuck, bitter, hurt, or sad because a season was tough. Every day we ask ourselves, “what did we learn?” “What were the teachable moments in this day?” “How can we grow from them?” Sometimes it is with our teeth gritted and choosing joy even though that “happy cartwheel” moment may not be felt. It is our choice to choose, and also our choice to let God take it. Our extremity is His opportunity. We invite Him to speak into that season. We know there are some seasons and moments that don’t even have a shelf, there is not even a place to put it or wrap our heads around. He’s got the shelf, we don’t have to worry. We are thankful that God never wastes a season. They are all so very important, and instrumental. And it is usually the tough seasons that catapult us and prepare us for what awaits in the next season and truly helps us appreciate the beauty even more. And we are ready because of the preparation and growth from the previous season.
Take a moment and reflect on your season. How are the seasons molding you? We are learning more than ever to cherish whatever season we are in. They are fleeting and they can change in an instant. Choosing Joy in every season.… there is beauty in them all if we look for it. Happy Autumn everyone!
