There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Do you know what season of life you are in? Think for a moment about your marriage, family, business, ministry, friendships… perhaps where you are on your healing journey?
The Seasons
Are you in the Spring, preparing and planting seeds with an expectant and hopeful heart? Are you in the Summer months watering, fertilizing, pruning, and protecting your “crop” from the drought, pests, and naysayers? Is it the Fall, when your arms and heart are full with the fruits of your labor? Or is it Winter, when the cycle is finished and it’s time to release and say goodbye? It is incredibly helpful to understand what season we are in because the right activities are so specific to each one.
Spring
We cannot expect a harvest when we are only in the Spring, the beginning stages of an effort. This is a time of tilling soil and planting seeds of promise. It requires that we water and fertilize with a watchful eye so they can sprout and grow strong. What “nutrients” do your dreams and goals need to grow and thrive?
Summer
Summer seasons are hard. It’s easy to underestimate the perseverance needed for facing the long months of slow growth. During these stretches we may experience little evidence of progress, and the temptation to be discouraged and quit will be very real. We must learn how to wait well, not lose heart, and keep our vision alive despite relentless tests and tribulations—including those barbs that come from naysayers who don’t believe in our dreams. As far as it depends on us, we’d be wise to keep all negative people at arms length, especially at this time.
Fall
The arrival of Fall brings the long awaited harvest, the tangible result of our hard earned efforts and perseverance. The blessings of joy and satisfaction are finally ours. It is a time to rejoice and celebrate, give thanks to God, and to tell others of His wondrous love and faithfulness in our lives, for without Him we would not have made it through.
Winter
Our cycle eventually leads us to Winter. This season will demand that we release something dear to us: It can mean departing from a country, a city, a home, or way of life. This is when a marriage or relationship ends, a job, a career or a dream. The experience can be natural and effortless or a wrenching one of deep sorrow and loss. While these transitions are very hard, they are part of God’s design for how we grow in wisdom and maturity through this life. Thankfully, the promise of Spring can bring comfort, with its hope of a new beginning and the Resurrection. God does promise to bring beauty out of ashes (Isaiah 61:3) and He can be trusted.
Wisdom for the Journey
Understanding what season we are in can help us know which tasks we must embrace, how to plan and harness our resources, understand frustrations and delays, and protect us from discouragement. Many heartaches can be avoided by taking honest stock of our where we are on the road. Dreams often fail because we do not count the cost, appreciate the grit and determination needed, or we give up just before a breakthrough.
Wherever you are right now, let the Word of God give you understanding of your season and bless you with provision for the journey. Our human strength may fail, but with God as our source and guide, we will reach our destination!
He who delights in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither–
whatever he does, prospers. (Psalm 1:3)
