Monday, October 19, 2009

AT THE WELL... changing seasons

I love this time of year. The temperatures are getting cooler. The leaves are changing colors and falling. The change in seasons is upon us.



The changing of the seasons requires us all to do things differently than what we did in the past season. For instance ...we dress differently and we even cook differently in the fall than what we did in the summertime.

God gave us the beauty of having four seasons. Summer, Spring, Fall and Winter. Each season has its blessings, each season has its changes and each season has its diversity.

Same could be said of the seasons of life that we all go thru. When I was young and it was just me and my hubby (before kids), it appeared that our entire life was mapped out. We knew exactly where we were going and how we were going to get there. But somehow along the way, we came up on snares and delays and detours.

All along the journey though, God had a specific destination in mind for us. Our destination all along was always in the palm of His hands:

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" - PROVERBS 16:9

On this journey that I call LIFE, it is easy to ask ourselves...

 "did we mark the map correctly?"
 "did we make the right turn?"
"something is wrong - nothing seems familiar!"
"This is not the direction we are supposed to be going - we must be lost!"

Instead of allowing panic to set in during these moments, we must remember that God gently leads us through different seasons of life. With each season, we may be required to do things differently. Some seasons of life will shower blessings and changes, while others we will experience diversity.

The neat thing about season changes, (weather changes and changes in life) is that God is always with us. He is there to calm our fears and to help us understand exactly what He is doing in our life. Sometimes, we just need to fold up the map that we are trusting and ask God to show us the way.

No matter what season you find yourself in today, whether it is a season of just getting started, or a season of raising your family or the season of empty nest or the season of growing old ... God is with you each step of the way. No wind, nor rain nor sleet or snow can keep Him away.

Your seasons may change ....
but God will always be the same!

I have entered a new season of life personally, as a mother of 3 grown sons and 1 teen daughter, I often have asked God "now what?" and over and over He reminds me that He has created me for "such a time as this!"

What season are you in today? Join us over AT THE WELL as we discuss "Embracing the seasons". Find more thoughts on todays subject HERE!

4 comments:

Denise said...

Such a great post, filled with truth.

Debbie said...

I can't tell you how often I think about things just like this. The older I have gotten, the more I actually "see" the seasons in my own life changing. This was a great post (as always) and it made Ecc. 3:1 pop right into my head..."to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven...I've found myself in the "empty nest season" (never thought it'd get here at some points in my life, haha) and have found parts of this season WAY better than I thought they'd be, and others WAY harder as well. But one thing is for sure always the same, "Jesus is the SAME, yesterday, today and tomorrow" Heb. 13:8... Praise God!! Have a wonderful day...Blessings to you, Debbie

Mel said...

Life changes on a dime and in the blink of an eye, but I love the reminder that God has created us for such a time as this!!!

Ashley Wells said...

Great thoughts Laurie! Thanks for sharing!

-Ashley