Seasons…
Seasons come & seasons go. And seasons also return. There are always lessons in every season of life that we face if we are open & aware. And with their return, it’s as if there is an opportunity to put to practice what we have learned. To put to the test the truth we have been given.
Sometimes, a season is composed of the difficulties & the trials of life, when hard things come upon us; pain & lack of comfort, as well as a lack of understanding in the matter. It’s a refining process, a season that purges us by the fire of affliction...
As I enter a returning season, I am reminded of the truth that God has given me on the issue of pain…
Rather than focusing on the discomfort & how to get out of it, instead changing my perspective to view it as an opportunity to go deeper with God. An opportunity to experience things with God that could not be experienced otherwise.
With trials & the pain of life, it opens us up to the depths of our being, revealing parts of our hearts & ourselves that we cannot always see & that may be hard to bear. But if we will yield to the process & let God do what He wants to do, letting pain produce fruit in our lives, it becomes a beautiful opportunity to experience a depth & an intimacy with God, that only comes from trusting God with the pain…
By trusting God, that He is Sovereign & that He has allowed the hard circumstances to enter our lives, we are trusting that there are things He wants to accomplish through it.
By trusting God with our trials & hard circumstances, we choose to stand. We choose to believe in the character of God & who He says He is, instead of choosing to believe what we are feeling or even what the world around us may be saying…
As I walk through the journey of my life, I see seasons come & go. And I see the seasons return again… It’s as if the roots of truth that were birthed through the lessons & trials are getting another chance to grow deeper; to go deeper…
God wants our roots to go deep, reaching into the depths of His Love & His purpose in our lives…
I’ve taken notice that it’s not when times are good & comfortable that we grow or gain the most understanding; it’s when times are hard & there is pain. It’s then, when pain becomes our opportunity…
An opportunity to stand firm on what we know to be true of God’s character, no matter what kind of turmoil surrounds us. An opportunity to see what we are really made of & how much we truly believe what God says in His word. An opportunity to let God reach into the deepest corners of our hearts & purge us of anything that doesn’t reflect His image. An opportunity to press into God, going deeper in intimacy with Him, letting Him speak to our hearts & teach us, giving us His perspective on the trials & hard circumstances we are facing…
There is always a choice of how we will let the pains of this life affect us. Will we let them destroy us? Make us bitter? Make us run from it or numb it with denial & earthly pleasures?
Or will we trust God & stand & yield?
Thanking Him that He has a purpose for allowing the pain to touch our life & it is GOOD.
Will we open up & let God take us deeper into our own hearts & let Him touch those places? Will we use the trials we are facing as an opportunity to grow, to change & to heal?
I am challenged by the opportunity to let a returning season take me deeper. I am challenged in the midst of turmoil & pain to stand firm on what God has spoken to my heart, instead of believing the many emotions I may be struggling with.
What does God’s word say? What do I know to be true of my God? What do I really believe about His character?
It’s in the season of trials & pain that we ask these questions; that we go deeper into the core of our faith. That we press into God & gain a deeper intimacy with Him.
So in reality, not only do seasons of pain & hard circumstances become our opportunity, but they also become our blessing…
"Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Weeping,
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength..."
Psalm 84: 5-7
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful - and so true...which is what makes it so beautiful. I'm learning that now in returning seasons - to stay and not run, to dig in and press in to God when it hurts too much, to look at my situation from the Word perspective rather than the World perspective, to ask God to show me the ugly-beautiful of the moment. I trust that my God is the same God during seasons of laughter and rejoicing; it's only my situation that has changed, and there's a great possibility that He has something beautiful to show me if I only "be still, and know that He is God." It's in those moments I know God best, and it's in those moments I feel His love the most. Thank you for sharing this - God gave you a gift, and He speaks through you when you write. You express your feelings so eloquently.
Deana
Hey sweet friend, this was beautiful. I'm sad to hear that you're in a season of pain again though... If you can share and want some prayers, I'm here. I love you!
ReplyDeleteWell said, very touching and so true, it is through adversity and pain that He teaches us to be strong, and to know and understand ourselves. I wish you well.
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