SEASONS CHANGE

"And let us not grow weary of doing good,
for in due season we will reap,
if we do not give up."

Galatians 6:9

Often times we sit and ponder our life...the past, the present, the future. All seasons and all so very different. And yet we can not understand why. Why is it that the seasons have to change? Why must we endure Winter when we would much rather be in Spring? Why can't I just live out my days in the Summer waves and not have to worry about the shedding of my ways in the Fall? We live in constant questioning mode never quite sure of what it is we were created for or why our hearts desire remains just that...a desire and never a reality. Our purpose lies dormant deep down inside waiting to be awakened and we're lost, with no clue how to awaken it. We hope and pray for the season to change and when it does change we want nothing more than to return to the season we were in because we were not expecting what came along with the change. 

With every season change there is a true change of character.

In the Spring things begin to awaken. The seeds take root and vegetation begins to grow. The rain falls to water the earth and the ground is saturated with a much needed drink. Newborn life is revealed among the animals. But with much needed rain also comes never anticipated floods. An overflow that at times is often a challenge to contain and a struggle to survive.

The Summer brings increased temperatures, at times so high that a drought takes place. What was once flooded is now dried up and the ground lies thirsty once again. We long to find enjoyment in the activities that take place in this season but often times experience the stress of preparing for it too. Summer...its a season of fun but can also leave us exhausted and worn down.

And then there's Autumn. It becomes cooler and plants begin to lie dormant. Animals begin to store food and prepare for colder temperatures. Plants wither and trees begin to shed the leaves they once so proudly swayed in the wind. The tree is left naked and exposed and we can only hope for new life in due season.

Winter comes with a vengeance and all that is not prepared is left exposed only to be caught in the grasp of this determined season. Determined to overtake all the life that was so delicately birthed throughout the rest of the seasons. Its cold, wet and dreary and yet it still remains a season of purpose...even when we can not see beyond the lifeless appearance. 

You see, our life reflects the seasons. We long to be in the season of our choice and dwell there until we choose to move on. We struggle with change and we can not accept anything that is out of the norm of our life's pattern. But there is a greater plan and this plan is not of our own choosing but is the amazing plan of God for our lives individually.

God loves us so much that He allows us to endure every season with grace. We fear what is before us but we forget He's walking with us. We see the change as a threat and do not realize it is a blessing. God knows the plan for our life and sees all before we even arrive at our next destination.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  - Jeremiah 29:11

So when we walk through these seasons, we must remember that no matter what the circumstance, God has a plan for it. I have shared this in many of my posts and will never forget what a preacher once told us. He said, "Everything that happens in our life is either God sent or God used," meaning that if He didn't send it He could certainly use it. So when I look at the seasons this is what I see....

The spring of our lives is just that, a moment to spring into purpose, ready to take on the world and so ready to achieve our greatest dreams. We have planted our seeds and are anticipating the rain of Gods spirit to water our plans so we can grow and flourish, but we find ourselves unprepared for the floods. We get tossed and turned and find ourselves drowning in the waves of disappointment because it didn't quite turn out the way we expected. What we didn't realize...God was teaching us to flow with His plans for our life and we fought off the life saver that was provided for us to survive. Our way was better in our eyes and we rejected His help. Then summer came and we were not prepared for the heat of this world. The people around us, telling us we would never do or be what we knew God had already revealed to us, so we get burned and suffer from the condemnation that is scorched into our hearts. We didn't cover ourselves with the Armor of God (our own personal sunblock). We left ourselves exposed to the heat of the enemy and now we hurt. Soon Autumn comes with relief...a cooling down and a great opportunity to prepare for what lies ahead. But what happens next is something we didn't quite prepare for. Our leaves begin to wither and fall to the ground. We find ourselves naked and exposed and we feel embarrassed. What just happened and why would God allow this to happen? My dear friends, if we only understood that God is pruning and pulling away all that does not belong so that we can be fruitful with what he has given us. 

John 15:2 says, "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

Pruning and cutting away is never a pleasant experience but to know that God loves us that much to remove from us what does not belong so that we can be greater and fulfill purpose that He placed inside of us is what matters most. People may talk and others may never understand but none of that matters. God knows whats best for our lives and He will never give us more than we can handle. And then Winter emerges. Winter seems to reveal all that has died but what we don't realize is that whats beneath the snow are the hidden living things "resting" until the proper time and when that season changes, they emerge with life and purpose in mind because they are well rested and ready to move.

The seasons grow and develop us and build a strength to endure anything through Christ. Every season prepares us for something greater and as we live our lives on purpose, fulfilling purpose we must remember that change is a great opportunity to discover what next amazing thing God has planned for our lives. I am so grateful to be in the season I am in now with my family because I now understand that through the good, the not so good and the necessary, God is working through it all. Be encouraged that His plan and the dreams and desires He has placed within you are not dead, they are still being birthed, growing, developing and ready to burst with YOUR blessing and purpose in mind. You are his child and he wants nothing more than to love you. Seasons Change and WE change, growing greater in God. You are AMAZING!

This is one of my favorites and I pray it bless you just as it does me every time I hear it :) Be blessed!