Stay the Course, There is a Time for Everything.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV

We go through “seasons” or changes in our lives on a continual basis. Nothing is permanent on this side of heaven. As the seasons change in weather, so does the “seasons” change in our lives. Sometimes the seasons we are in are like the winter season, barren, no life, cold, dark, and harsh. Sometimes it seems like the winter will never end, but it does and a new season emerges. I realize that depending where you live you may not have different seasons, but let’s imagine we all live in climates that have four seasons, winter, summer, spring, and fall. Our lives change like these seasons in weather.

The fall season is time for planting and working to remove the dead leaves and other winter debris. The climate is not as harsh and coldness begins to let up. Just like in our lives when the fall season emerges we are getting a little break from the harsh winter. It is time to prepare and time to clean-up the dead things that winter has left behind. In a Spiritual sense we are getting time from God to clean-up our dead “fruit” and God begins to prune away at those dead things in our lives. It is a time of rebuilding and replenishing what the “winter” brought us. We must stay the course and allow God to do His work in this season because soon we will be going into another seasons.

The summer season is hot and it can be dangerous because of the heat and storms like hurricanes caused by the heat. Plants that were planted may begin to die if they are not watered daily. By the end of summer most people are ready for the fall. Sometimes the heat makes people tired and weary. In the Spiritual sense the summer season is a time of God sheltering us from the “storms” and the “heat.” He lets us know that He is protecting us and that if we make it through this time, He will bring us to the next season. It can be a difficult season, there can be much tiredness and weariness from the “storms” or attacks of the enemy. We may get restless in this season, and want it to end quickly. God may say to us during this season to stay under His protection. The enemy may be relentless during this season, and it may be one assault after another. Rest assured, this season will end. But like all other seasons you must stay the course and trust that Jesus will bring you out.

The spring season is the most favorite of seasons for a lot of people. The seeds have been planted and the trees pruned back in the fall and the spring blossoms them forth. The birds and butterflies abound plentiful in the air. The aromas of springtime are delightful. The weather is cool, not cold like the winter or hot like the summer; it’s just right. People stay out longer because the cold does not bother them as much nor the heat. In the Spiritual sense, the spring season is a time of rest and peace. Assaults from the enemy are low and we are in a good place spiritually. We are stronger because of our time in the winter and summer months. We have endured, preserved and we have overcome. It is a glorious time and a time of great harvest.

Whatever season you are in it will end and you move onto another seasons. Without spiritual seasons in our lives we would never grow. We must flow though the seasons in our lives with grace and trust that God will see us through.

Autumn, Preparing for the Next Season

As I look out my window typing this article, I can see the leaves are changing colors and I have my window open because the air is crisp and cooler. I love this time of year, and I enjoy the warm foods that come with this season. I enjoy homemade soup, chili, and even cocoa. As the season changes, I change my décor to look like fall. I have pumpkins and mums outside and indoors I decorate with festive fall colors. I also reorder my closet to bring out my coats and sweaters, and put away my shorts and summer tops. I pull out my boots and put away my summer flip flops. You can say I am preparing for the next season.

Now parallel how we get ready for a physical change in a season, we need to prepare for a spiritual change in seasons as well. Just as the seasons change and we get summer, fall, winter, and spring, our spiritual lives go through seasons as well. In Holidays and Holy Nights, Christopher Hill points out that for the Christian who observes the liturgical year, autumn is actually the beginning of the cycle. Each season we go through will represent something different for us. The fall represents change, harvest, and preparation. This spiritual season is parallel to the season of fall. The leaves on the trees are falling making way for new growth in the spring, but will undergo a time of preparation until. Just as our lives are undergoing changes, we should “gather and prepare” now for the time of new growth that will come. The climate also changes, depending where you live of course, but where I live, we have changes in temperature. Right now, it has been rather brisk and the nights have been cold. It is time to make a fire in the fireplace and put on our coasts and sweaters. While changing to the next spiritual season, you may need to spend extra time “bundling up” in the Word and in God’s presence, to prepare you for all that is to come.

How do you know when a spiritual season of change is coming?

1.      There is an anticipation. You do not know exactly what, but you sense something will happen.

2.      You are spending more time in God’s Word and long to be in His presence, nothing else will do.

3.      You have been in a long, “wilderness” season and have prayed and waited for answered prayers and deliverance.

4.      You long and yearn for change, yet in your own strength you know it is impossible and would need the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

5.     You have been pulled back from your usual activities and friendships, and God has been doing a refining work in you. You are engaged in minimal activities, and are not preoccupied with busyness, because you know God is preparing you for His purposes.

Now is the time to prepare for the harvest, anticipate change, remove “dead’ things from your life, stay connected to God as you transition, and begin speaking life over all your circumstances; even if those things seem inactive or finished. This is the season to write out your vision again, and be convinced once again of God’s calling on your life. Life will come back to those things that have seemed to wither away. See everything in your past as training ground for your next season- your prior ministry endeavors, professional and personal experiences, and even past failures can serve as training. God will use it all!