A New Season

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

As the kids go back into the classroom and school busses hold up traffic in the mornings, it’s time for me to get back to it. I didn’t exactly stop working this summer. I focused on my screenplay and launched my fifth book, Fed and Focused.  But, most of my summer was filled with board games and binging Netflix with my family.  As much as I want our cozy time to continue, a new season has arrived.

The Bible says there’s a season for everything. When I think about it, I’ve had some extreme seasons in my life. I’ve had months of confusion and doubt, followed by months of clarity and unshakeable faith.  I’ve had some painful years and some years that still bring me to joyful tears.  With all this up and down, I got to thinking, “Is this God?”

With all this up and down, I got to thinking, “Is this God?”

Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that “there’s a time to cry and a time to laugh.”  It’s all fair game. After all, the human experience is just that — an experience. There are so many ups and downs. So what’s the point?

I went to the Bible poster child of despair, Job. God told Satan that Job was “a man of complete integrity.”  So Satan, being the original hater, tells God that Job only loves God because of what He does for him. “You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does.”  Then Satan says, “But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

1 Peter 5:8 warns us to “Stay Woke!”  Satan runs around trying to knock us off balance. His goal is to get us to doubt God and ultimately to abandon the faith.  Don’t fall for it.

The Bible tells us, Job never cursed God. As all seasons do, Job’s season of despair passed and  “The Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!” He got double for his trouble.

None of us wants to go through the cold, bitter winters of life.  But we remind ourselves that no matter how much winter causes our bones to ache, spring will come.  A new season is like all seasons, it will eventually change.  Our challenge is to love and honor God in the down season as much as we do in the up season. That’s the point! You find out who you really are when the season changes. You grow and transform as the seasons change just like the leaves on the trees.

So stay woke! Don’t let fear, anger or doubt knock you off balance.  Guard your heart and stay close to God. Keep at it. Spring is coming back again and you’ll get double for your trouble.