There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
God’s Word declares every season is set apart. It is marked by particular events, challenges, necessities, lessons, and purpose. Every season combines with other seasons to complete a person’s life and purpose on earth. Individual seasons cannot stand alone in isolation. Seasons are dependent on each other for context of meaning. Growth is only possible because of the combination of seasons.
We could identify broad terms in an effort to capture the essence of each season: spring=renewal, summer=beauty, fall=productivity, and winter=dreariness. Yet single words don’t begin to portray the full scope of each season. Different parts of the world experience natural seasons in a variety of ways. Different people experience spiritual seasons in a variety of ways. How one person responds to a situation in a spiritual winter differs from another person’s response to a similar situation. How one person celebrates during a spiritual summer differs from another’s celebration. Productivity differs. Renewal differs. There’s variation in spiritual seasons, yet there is also consistency.
- Seasons change, assuring us nothing is permanent.
- Seasons change without our control.
- Seasons require adaptation.
- Seasons don’t always make sense.
- Seasons invite awe and appreciation.
How have you specifically experienced one or more of these facts of seasons?
God will use every spiritual season of your life. He wastes nothing. If it’s in your life, it can and will be used by God.
- You can choose to appreciate the beauty of what God is placing in front of you – or not.
- You can choose to be thankful for what God is providing you – or not.
- You can choose to learn the lessons God teaches you – or not.
- You can choose to adapt to changes around you – or not.
- You can choose to trust God through challenges – or not.
- You can choose to seek God’s perspective on each situation – or not.
- You can choose God – or not.
Every season is not enjoyable. Every season is not comfortable. Every season is not desirable. We want to avoid the uncomfortable and settle into seasons of comfort. We pull the covers over our heads and try to pass time as the challenges swirl around us, then tightly grab onto the celebrations, unwillingly to unclench our fists in hopes the moment will stay. We want to know what we can do to grow pleasant fruit in our lives as quickly as possible. We don’t like the waiting process. We don’t like not being able to see the connection between what we’re doing today and what happens in our lives tomorrow. We want life to make sense, but we have limited information, understanding, and perspective.
God has every detail. He knows each growing season of every area of each life – yours, mine, and every single person he’s ever created to live on earth. His purpose for us is driven with the passion of establishing an ever-deepening relationship with each and every individual. He uses what we experience as both good and bad to benefit us in a way that ultimately glorifies him. Each season places demands on us – expectations to rely on God, respond in obedience, and welcome results. We experience similarities across some seasons and situations, but others seem foreign to us. We get disoriented, discontent, and disappointed.
Every season requires sacrifice. In order to fully experience God’s purpose, we must yield to him as the one who guides and provides. He should be the only one we trust, because he is the only one who has perfect perspective. We think we can handle our experiences – past, present, and future – but we are vastly limited. Every season holds blessings for us. In order to fully experience each blessing, we must choose to set aside what we think and want, inviting God to consume us.
You might have a favorite natural season, but you cannot live in it every day of your life. The same is truth for spiritual seasons. Regardless of where you’d prefer to be, you will not be there every moment of your life. You can choose to sit and pout about it, or you can use the time given to you, learning the lessons and growing the way God purposes so that every season that follows is nourished by the preceding seasons.
We’re digging into a Bible study of spiritual seasons, so we can choose pure growth, the purpose God intends for us. We’ll determine to embrace every time and every season, because we’ll grow in seeing and living life by God’s perspective. As we close the first day of study, let’s get to know each other.
Leave a comment to share your name, state/country, and something you’re anticipating through this study of spiritual seasons. (You can also respond to the question highlighted earlier in today’s post.)
Invite God to pour into you as you listen to Nichole Nordeman’s Every Season.
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I am hoping to see the beauty in each season and not feel like you have to rush through something to get to another. Peace where you are is a gift, and helping others see that is another gift. Sheila, Crystal Lake, IL p.s. it is just feeling like fall weather here today, and I get to see 200 people getting baptized outdoors. Seasons in action……
Praise God, Sheila!
Looking forward to doing this study with all of you. It is so true that we go through seasons of life. Some more pleasant than others; yet through them all I still choose God. He alone is my rock. I love the way He is in the details of my life. I love the days that His Spirit guides me along a path and later in the day the reason He led me there at that time was to bring me to a certain moment later on. What an awesome God He is. I shouldn’t be surprised everytime, but everytime, I am. I just have to praise Him with joy and sometimes a clap offering. Amen? Betty, Indiana.
Amen, Betty!
I want to feel God, the Holy Spirit working in me. I seem to have two months of contentment/happiness and then three or four months of complete and utter depression. I still love and praise God through these times, the good and the difficult. But I need to strengthen my faith and have the self confidence that God is with me always!! Thank you for this study. I am also in a study growth group at my church but needed something else to help me with my walk with the almighty Savior!
Katy K, Lenexa, KS
Welcome, Katy! It’s great that you’re also in a group at church! I love the availability of online studies and the diversity of the women who join in…but I’m also incredibly passionate about connecting face to face! In fact, I start leading a study for young moms this week and begin another study at another church, where I can soak in and fully participate without the responsibility of being the facilitator. I love God’s Word!
The last few months I have been learning about perspective. While I don’t always understand what God is doing, I am learning to be thankful….truly thankful for what He is doing. Rather I agree or not = )
I eagerly await how this Bible study is going to stretch me even more!
Dawn W. Quincy, Illinois
Hey, Dawn! Shouldn’t we have an IHOP date in the near future? 🙂
As far as understanding everything….well, if we did, we certainly wouldn’t need faith. Faith isn’t believing in a god who does what we expect when we expect. Faith is belief in THE God because he is big enough to be beyond us yet loves us so much to be intimately involved in our lives!
Blessings!
I am looking forward to meeting you all! god is defineately in all my seasons, I am counting on him now as I go through a difficult season!
Prayers and blessings, Peggy!
I live in Arkansas. I am anticipating growing stronger spiritually and being able to recognize a new season when it comes.
Amen, CJ!
Seasons change without our control…if I could control the seasons, each day would be very similar and soon boring.
I am looking forward to enjoying the journey more often rather than wishing for the season to come or missing the season past. I loved the concept of each season connecting to the ones before and after (and I LOVE trees so the picture quickly became one of my favorite ones). Truly, we are the sum of every experience. God doesn\’t waste anything in our lives and I\’m hoping to become more attuned to seeing his hand at work in my present season.
Colleen, Bethalto IL
I’m so thrilled to be along on this journey with you!
I love the change of seasons and have a hard time choosing just one as my favorite. I am looking forward to learning more about the spiritual seasons of life and I am committed to making a conscious effort to look back and identify the hand of God that worked in the seasons past and recognizing Him as he works now and in my future seasons.
tracie, Taylorville, IL
Amen, Tracie. I’m so thankful for the many seasons we’ve shared and anticipate what God has planned for the future!
This a time of change in my life and I look forward to being able to slow down and take time to experience God in the changing seasons, to look back and look forward. BJ Central PA
I love that image of looking back and forward simultaneously…while also engaging in the present. Blessings!
Hi! I’m a little late getting started on the study, but I’m loving it so far! My name is Lori Tovar and I live in Kansas. I am looking forward to seeing God reveal Himself to me in every season and molding me into the woman He wants me to become.
Welcome, Lori!
I’m looking forward to learning how to be at peace in each season regardless of my likes or dislikes or comforts and discomforts. I want to see what fruits God will produce in me!
Kelley , Ky
Amen, Kelley. Me, too!
The seasons changes and cannot be control but ithank GOD because He is the same yesterday tomoro and forever whatever the situation we are facing he will never us alone