Seasons Change

Life is unpredictable. From my own personal experience, there are only two things that will never change. One thing that will never change is God. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The second thing that will never change is the fact that things change. Whether we are walking through the valley or sitting high on the hill, it is inevitable that we will experience both the highs and lows of this life. Christians often refer to different and new periods in their lives as seasons, and just like the seasons of this world, a new one is sure to come in due time.

God’s Word has a few things to say about seasons changing. One of the most well known chapters in the Bible that refers to seasons changing is Ecclesiastes 3. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 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 kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

Some seasons in our lives can be exciting and full of joy, like the moment we get engaged or married, the moment we dedicate our lives to God, the moment we graduate from high school or college, or the moment we have a child. These are the times that we desire to hold on to for as long as we can. We capture the memories with photographs and replay these special events in our minds. During these times, we thank God and may even shed tears of joy. Other seasons in our lives can be painful and full of sadness, like the moment we lose a loved one, the moment we move from one city, state or home that we loved to another, unfamiliar place, the moment we lose a job, or the moment that we or one of our loved ones are diagnosed with an illness that might change our lives forever. During these times, what do we hold on to? How can we find joy in the midst of our pain? How do we feel secure, when everything is changing?

Recently, I have been walking through a new season in my life. A lot of changes have taken place. At the start of the year, my husband and I began a local outreach. We also sold our home and moved in to an apartment, while having a new home custom built. As we were moving, we discovered that I was pregnant. My husband and I also made the decision to give up two of our three dogs, and we have had a difficult time finding new homes for them. During this time, I also took a break from serving in three areas of ministry at my church and made the decision to serve in only one area. After having a difficult time meeting with my church leaders to find the exact place for me, due to busy schedules, I now have not been serving in any area of my church for about three months. This lack of service has made me feel disconnected from my church home. I have also had to make some decisions over the past few years and recently about the relationships in my life and whether they are healthy or unhealthy, reliable or one sided. Setting boundaries has become something that I have had to enforce, and it is not always easy.

Needless to say, there have been a lot of changes over the past few months that have brought me into a new and challenging season in my life. Some of these changes, like starting a ministry, having a home built and expecting a baby, have been wonderful changes and blessings that I am thankful for. Other changes, like searching for new homes for our dogs, feeling disconnected from my church home and the dynamics between me and certain relationships have been more difficult and challenging. Regardless of the type of changes, a new season filled with so many changes can cause people to feel sad, lonely, and many other feelings. I share all of my recent experiences, in order to help anyone who is reading this right now who may be going through a challenging season in their lives. I share my experiences to say that you are not alone. Changing seasons are a part of life, and you can make it through this time.

So, what do we hold on to during the difficult seasons in our lives? How can we find joy in the midst of our pain? How do we feel secure, when everything is changing? If life is certain to change, then we must hold on to the One who is unchanging, which is Jesus Christ. As I noted in the first paragraph of this message, Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” This thought and promise from God is something that we can hold on to, when our world seems to be spinning out of control or in many different directions at once. So what do we know about God that gives us confidence in His unchanging ways. First of all, God loves us! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).” We are so valuable and important that the Creator of the universe gave His life so that we would not be separated from Him in this life or the next. He wants to bond with us and spend time with us, and we need to take time to fellowship with God through prayer, reading His Word, and worshiping Him. It is a privilege. We can also hold tight to the promise that we have eternal salvation, and one day we will live eternally in paradise with Him and our loved ones who know Him.

Secondly, we know that God has a plan for our lives. In Jeremiah 29:11, God says to us, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” God has plans to prosper us and give us hope and a future. While we may go through difficult experiences in our lives, God does not have any plans to harm us. He wants us to prosper by growing in our relationship with Him and others and living the abundant life that He died for us to have. When I say “abundant life,” I am not referring to material possessions of abundance. While I do believe that God blesses us with material possessions, I believe when Jesus said He came so that we may have a full life (John 10:10), He was referring to us having a life that is spiritually full and free from the bondage of sin and of the world.

Lastly, Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Despite the circumstances that we face in our daily lives, we need to remember that God is bigger than our circumstances. Jesus said, “with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).” In all situations, circumstances and seasons of our lives, God will work for the good of those who love Him. No matter how dark and desperate a situation may appear in the present moment, it is important that we live and walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). It can be difficult to have faith sometimes, but we must never forget that God is faithful and He always keeps His promises. He can and will turn any situation around for our good. Have faith!

If we hold on to God’s promises and trust in Him, by faith, then we can find confidence in the midst of challenging circumstances. We can have confidence that God never changes, He loves us and He is faithful. He will always keep His promises to us. He has a plan for our lives and He will work things out for our good. Even if we are mourning, we can still rejoice, if we remember that weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). We may not be able to rejoice because of our present situation, but we can rejoice in spite of our present situation! Rejoice that God is good and that your joy will return to you one day. Rejoice that you are alive and you know the Creator of the universe. Rejoice that you have eternal salvation. Be thankful for what you do have and stop complaining about what you don’t have. Be appreciative of what is going right in your life, instead of only seeing what is going wrong. In our darkest moments, we should praise and thank God, because no matter what we are going through, He is God, He is good, and He is worthy to be praised!