Change cannot be altogether avoided
Some people like change and thrive on it, others despise it and try to avoid it as much as possible. Most people fall into one of those two categories. I am most certainly the latter.
As a child, I was upset if my mom changed the Spaghetti sauce brand, or we got a new vehicle. The year my parents changed the traditional location for Christmas, I had an emotional meltdown. I don’t naturally do well with change.
I get attached to ways of life, to people, to norms. I find safety in certainty and familiarity.
Seasons have something to teach us
After living in Australia for the past 7 years, one of the things I miss most is seasons. Growing up in Michigan, there are clear seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. Each season has it’s signs and brings a new way of living, almost a new attitude.
Winter is meant for hibernation and a slow-pace of life, spring is for cleaning and new growth, summer is for fun and enjoyment and life outdoors, autumn is filled with tradition and the beautiful leaves that change color.
God uses Nature to reveal mysteries and patterns of life, even His own character, as seen in Romans, chapter 1, verse 20. I believe one way He does that is through seasons. Seasons remind me that change is good and natural, not just an inconvenient and often scary part of life.
Seasons are necessary to life
If you look at different characters in the Bible, they all went through seasons. The Israelites went through a season of Slavery, Exodus, Wilderness, taking over the Promised Land, then dwelling and living in the land. The Disciples went through a season of not knowing Jesus, to living and following Him for 3 years to mourning His death, to living with Him through the Holy Spirit.
When you look at the different seasons people went through in the Bible, you see each of those seasons were necessary for their growth and journey with God.
One of the biggest lies I believe the Enemy whispers to us is when things are difficult. He tries to convince us the difficult season, is instead a new normal and will be that way forever. If the Enemy can convince us, we begin to lose hope and assurance in God and His ability to deliver and heal us. Some do end up stuck, because the Enemy convinced them that’s just how life is and it doesn’t get any better.
But the perspective of God is so different to that of the Enemy. God’s perspective is one of seasons. The book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verses 1-8 says “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to tear down and a time to heal….” The verses remind me that seasons don’t last forever, good or bad, they are only seasons and this too will soon pass.
Embracing God in the present
Each specific season will only come along once in life and God has goals and plans for each of them, whether it be a ‘good or bad’ season by our terms. So rather than holding onto the past and resisting the next season or wishing away the difficult season, maybe the best way to approach each season is through trust and thankfulness.
Trusting that God has this season planned for us and has purpose in it and thankful God is with us in the present, which is the only place we are able to commune with Him. God is in the past, present and future, and not limited by time, but I only have the ability to be in the present.
Laurinda is a missionary at Youth with a Mission in Brisbane where she leads a discipleship program for young adults. On her day off you can find her hiking up a mountain or swinging in a hammock.
Laurinda Rapp’s previous articles may be viewed at
http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/laurinda-rapp.html
Laurinda is a missionary at Youth with a Mission in Brisbane where she leads a discipleship program for young adults. On her day off you can find her hiking up a mountain or swinging in a hammock.
Laurinda Rapp’s previous articles may be viewed at