Don't settle for a "great" season.
"You steady me
Slow and sweet, we sway
Take the lead and I will follow
Finally ready now
To close my eyes and just believe
That You won't lead me
Where You don't go
When my faith gets tired
And my hope seems lost
You spin me round and round
And remind me of that song
The one You wrote for me
And we dance"
This song, "We Dance" by Bethel, came on my pandora this morning. I have heard this song play over and over on my playlist in the past couple of months. But today I heard the song. I felt the words like they were being spoken straight to me, not to all the other billions listeners on pandora. Have you ever felt that same moment I experienced this morning? Where a song was playing or someone was speaking, but for a moment you felt like it was just for you alone?... I think we all do. It reminded me of different seasons in life that we go through.. and how we (I) just have to close my eyes and just believe that he is doing great things and will continue to use us (me)... and how we (I) have to trust HIM to take the lead and I will follow him into the seasons of life he puts before me..
You ladies understand what seasons are all about. It is your life. Sports come in seasons. Your teams play during certain seasons. Wives, your husbands are burning up the roads on a bus during certain seasons. Moms, you have seasons of life when all you want to do is hide in a closet and get an hour of silence or maybe a season you never want to stop kissing those sweet baby cheeks. I think we can all relate to the different seasons we have such as: Summer, Fall, Winter & Spring...I know all of you wish it was the Fall season year around.. ya me too. Who doesn't like fall?... Even the men do... "bc of football!" is what they say... But I am still convinced its bc of the leaves changing colors, pumpkin spice candles and lattes. I know they would agree :) You get what I am saying! Seasons come and go. They are not forever, there is a beginning and there is an end.
There is something so invigorating about starting a new season.. and before we know it, " We can not wait until this season is over." or "I can't wait until next season." or "This season is awful, I'm just exhausted." and "We are struggling in this season." or " Why can't this just be over, so we can move on to the next thing?" and " This season is so hard for us right now." or " Why can't our season be like the last season?" and "We haven't had a decent season in ages." We are all guilty. I am guilty. I am very guilty. If we do not say it aloud, we all at least think these things off and on throughout life. Whether you are a coach, coaches wife, wife, mom, daughter, teacher, volunteer, etc... We all have different seasons of life that we are in or have been through. We all label our seasons internally when we start coming face to face with different encounters. Some of those encounters are other people, situations, our pride, family, heart ache, disappointments, mistakes, attitude, motivation, support system, perspective, goals, and the unexpected. All of these things are how we determine if it is a "good" season. These factors are how we decide if the past season was a "complete waste" or if it was " a growing season." We are human. We are broken people trying to get through seasons of life with the world telling us.." IF x,y,z doesn't happen, then it was unsuccessful." or "Or if you didn't feel x,y,z during that season, then it was a waste of your time." Yeah all this is painful to a point for me to hear, too. It is not fun to hear bc it is true in my own life and I am guessing it is true for you as well in some part of your life.
The world teaches us if x,y,z happens during the season, only then it is successful.
I will be the first to say it. I have had some pretty "hard, bad, exhausting, growing, and tough" seasons in my life and I am forever thankful for them! I have struggled through a season of anxiety and the painful moments that I believed at the time "were the worst times of my life" actually those seasons mean the most to me. Those moments are what required me to depend solely on Jesus every moment of the day. I have been through a season of questioning my security in Christ because I felt so insecure of myself and how he created me to be...and I thought that season was so draining and exhausting. Bc of that particular season Jesus showed me who HE was and how he viewed me.. and now I have get to experience an unexplainable confidence in who HE is. I went through a season recently feeling like I could not ever measure up to those around me...I compared myself to perfection and was left disappointed every time. Bc of this season I gained such a peace that only God can provide. A peace that gave me understanding on it is not my job to ever try to reach perfection. Jesus is perfect. Not me.. If I was perfect or close to it.. I would have no desperate need for him every hour, every day.
Ladies, these are FULFILLING seasons... These are MEANINGFUL seasons...
It is not about how we feel that makes it a good season. It is not about the way things look from outside that make is great. It is not about anything we do on our own or anything we accomplish on our own that makes it successful.
These seasons are so necessary for us to be shaped, molded, and refined. They are required in order for us to grow and become who God desires us to be! It is all about embracing what God has set before us at such a time as this. It is all about taking the opportunity daily to look for Jesus and what he is showing us in each moment. It is all about us choosing Jesus over our own desires, needs, pride, ideas, feelings, etc.... Jesus makes the seasons of this life fulfilling and meaningful. That is the best season in my opinion! Do not settle for a good season. Do not settle for a great season. Let's choose Jesus, and choose to work through whatever season we are in, to passionately pursue Jesus and what he has called us to do, right now. I want to experience fulfilling seasons, not just good ones. What kind of season are you in?
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
-Ecclesiastes 3:1
Please comment below, I want o hear from you all. Lets encourage and pray over one another!
Kristen