23 February 2007
From my desk perched on the second floor of our residence, I can look out at the single tree in our front yard. At this moment, it stands elegantly despite having surrendered its leaves a few months ago. Soon it will be dressed in the colors of springtime, as large green leaves sprout from its numerous branches and will remain that way through the dry, hot summer months—when drops of rain are incredibly scarce. Then, as the temperatures begin to fall, the leaves will take on vivid hues of yellow, orange, red, and brown. Winter will then approach and send the leaves cascading to the ground, leaving just the tree, bereft of anything but the quiet gracefulness it currently exudes.
The four seasons of the year allow the tree to put on a constant display of the greatness of God in addition to a gentle reminder about life. Similarly, we experience periods of time in life (seasons) where God has the opportunity to exhibit his plans for us. An often-quoted verse in the book of Jeremiah reveals the heart of God regarding this topic. It says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'" (Jeremiah 29:11 [NIV]).
Certain seasons of life are easy to determine, such as our childhood, our teenage years, and our adult life. However, these broad classifications hide additional seasons where God shares distinctive lessons to us in a real and meaningful way. Sometimes we may not realize that we are going through a season while in the midst of it, but only later on. At other times, we understand clearly (even if we cannot articulate it to others) what God is doing. In those cases, we need to follow the instructions he is giving us despite what others think or say.
A quick look though the Bible offers numerous examples of its characters going through the seasons of life. I present two (and recommend taking a look at the others for yourself):
Esther was a young woman suddenly elevated to the role of queen at a precarious time in the history of Israel. When her cousin Mordecai learned of a plot to exterminate the Jews, he sent Esther a message: you've got to speak up and do something about this. If not, our people will die—and you as well. He concludes by saying, "Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14 [Message]). After this, Esther begins to act, knowing that her actions would ultimately decide the fate of her people. Happily, the plot was exposed and the offenders were dispatched of quickly.
In the case of the apostle Paul, he wasn't exactly the person you'd want to meet in public if you claimed Jesus as Forgiver and Leader—at first. In fact, the early seasons of his life found him harassing, persecuting, and making life miserable for the early followers (see Acts 8:3-4). He was heading to Damascus to continue his campaign against Jesus, when he was confronted by Jesus himself! As a result of this encounter, he became a follower himself and began "preaching the faith he once tried to destroy" (Galatians 1:23 [NIV]). Before he began to tell others about Jesus, he went away for a period of time to Arabia—likely to be prepared by God for the tasks he was going to be doing (see Galatians 1:15-17). I'm quite thankful that he experienced each of these seasons of life, as they helped to bring countless numbers of people to a firsthand relationship with Christ himself.
But what about today? What do the seasons of our lives look like? In my case, the seasons of my life have been quite memorable, sometimes for reasons I'm ashamed to admit.
There was the 'season of relationship' where I was so enamored with a particular individual at my college that I lost sight of God's plans for who my wife was supposed to be. It took an infamous Valentine's Day talk with a friend for God to help me realize my error (I never did date the girl). I still fought the relationship question for two more years—until the month before graduation. That night, I gave up and told God, "If I'm supposed to remain single, then you've got a reason for this. I don't understand, but I'm going to trust you on this one." One week later, I went on my first date ever—with the woman that would become my wife.
There was the 'season of disorder,' caused by a seemingly odd event—a 70,000 pound crane barreling into the side of my car just yards from the hotel I was going to stay at while on the way to grad school. For the next two years, very little seemed to go as I planned, with even less making logical sense. Sadly, this season ended with me not learning the lessons upon the conclusion of my time in Illinois. It was a year later, as I stood looking out at the skyline of San Francisco, that God helped me to understand what was going on and begin reforming my life into what he intended it to be.
Finally, there was the 'season of recovery,' due in part to living in an area where we simply could not make ends meet each month. In this case, God provided a way for us to move to a new town, where we could get rid of debt while starting to save for the future and our daughter. As a result, our family has grown closer together, while my wife and I have rediscovered the passions for serving others that God had for us all along. We're not sure what the future holds, but it's an indescribable difference between worrying about things and simply trusting that someone bigger than yourself has things under control.
I'm sure you've had similar experiences and seasons in your life. I pray that you would take time this week to think about the journey of life you've been on so far. What has God been trying to tell you? What have you learned (or are learning) as a result?
And wherever you are in the seasons of your life, may God refresh you, that you in turn may refresh others.
"We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God's purpose prevails."
--Proverbs 19:21 (Message)
"All happenings, great and small, are parables whereby God speaks. The art of life is to get the message."
--Malcolm Muggeridge
