“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”
Luke 1:38
Disclaimer: Yes, another thought on seasons…but that’s where I currently stand.
Sometimes particular seasons call for different adjustments. It’s kind of like needing different types of clothing from season to season. One wouldn’t want to wear a full length, wool coat during the heat of the summer months; nor would one want to wear a bathing suit in the coldest days of winter. And the same it is with some seasons of life, they require us to wear different hats and become accustomed to new ways of doing things.
The major problem for most of us is CHANGE.
It’s awkward, unknown, and sometimes frightening, the new territory we are expected to traverse. Sometimes the changes come gradually, while at other times they happen suddenly without warning. I’ve experienced both; and both instances are challenging in their own way.
Awkward, because it feels like you’re a young child again, learning to take baby steps or perhaps just attempting to stand on your own. You can no longer run because there’s a lot of falling - or failing. It takes time to learn the new routes or trade out the proverbial hats which must be taken off or put on. It’s new. Challenging.
Unknown, because we most likely won’t be immediately confident of what is required of us during change. There is a rerouting of the norm, and sometimes the pathways in our minds must be retrained to respond differently and we must learn new roles. What may have once relied upon mere muscle memory now requires using an entirely different set of muscles. Those muscles work hard and become sore until they grow stronger. It’s different. It requires courage.
Frightening, because we may have to relearn who we are and what our new purpose is. Sometimes, we have mistakenly placed our identity or worth in what we currently do or how we perform, instead of who we really are. Separating these two ideals takes hard work because we may have fallen blindly into a trap meant to take us out. That’s the enemy’s job, to confuse and cause us to be fearful and lose sight of our purpose. Fear is not of God, but He does know we will do so because we are flesh - but He constantly encourages us in His Word not to give in to it. Who are we? What next?
Every season brings with it questions which must be answered, lies which must be silenced and new roads which lead us toward new growth and purpose if we’ll keep walking toward the Lord.
I don’t know if this is textbook fact, but it’s a reality I’ve been walking through in this new season of my personal walk, and things I’ve been pondering and processing - or a new term I’ve learned recently…pray-cessing.
CHANGE…but I’d like to choose the word “seasoning” instead.
As I threw some seasoning on some chicken thighs today, I deviated from the norm and cautiously branched out into the unknown…and the chicken tasted divine, if that’s possible. I think, in fact, it was a simple object lesson God had just for me today. I didn’t want to keep it to myself though.
Seasoning.
Yes, we are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image, but God made us with weaknesses which He uses to push us toward Him and so we’ll learn to rely fully upon Him. He changes our seasons to grow and develop us further for His Kingdom.
Change: It’s not punishment, it’s part of the “seasoning” process.
I’m reminded of the verse which mentions something like taste and see that the Lord is good (might be slightly paraphrased) and the one which says something about us being the salt of the earth.
If God never changes our seasons (seasoning), how would we ever learn to trust in Him more? How would we ever find complete fulfillment in Him? How would we ever really experience all He wants to be for and to us? How would we ever completely fulfill His purpose for us and be effective? Those are deep questions we don’t stop and consider as the Lord begins to take out different spices to change up our seasons to suit His divine purpose. We may question the “spice” He takes out of His Heavenly stash and wonder…but remember this:
God sees in us not only what we are, but what we could be. He sees not only where we currently are, but where He intends us to end up. He’s God, He has no boundaries or obstacles blocking His vantage point. He knows the new seasoning will help stretch us and cause new muscle groups to become stronger so we can step up to the plate and be even more effective than we already are through His strength which keeps us going.
God, keep seasoning me!
I’m literally speaking from experience here, and testifying of the truth I’m learning as a fifty-one year old child of God (I’m so thankful He keeps dealing with us like He did the children of Israel all throughout the Bible.) Aren’t we thankful we don’t stop learning when we graduate from school? Life is full of lessons - and our faithful God is the BEST teacher.
I’ve found myself in my prayer closet asking God to get me ready for the new, the change - the new seasonings He is using to bring me closer to His perfect will. I’ve asked Him to strip me of any weights and parts of myself that can’t come into this season with me. Yes, it’s awkward, unknown and on some days very frightening; but I know Who is writing my story and I’ve yielded to His pen. Yes, Lord! Here I am.
Maybe this isn’t for you, but perhaps you will be here one day, or maybe someone will one day read this during a difficult time when their season is changing and maybe they’ll be provoked to look at it a little differently. I want to always remember this moment!
Change is necessary, it is good.
New seasons bring with them new challenges but also new opportunities and new levels of walking with God.
I want ALL God has for me; I don’t want to be content with the seasonings I’ve been using in the here and now when He has bigger things in store for me. I’m sure you wouldn’t be satisfied with that either if you really dug into it and could see through eyes of faith the final outcome.
I’m not the virgin Mary being visited by an angel of the Lord today, but I feel a nudging in my soul and I want to have her response in this season:
“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:38
Lord, please season me! Here I am!
Lord, here I am today. Dedicated to fulfilling Your purpose and plan for my life. May it be to me according to Your Word, will and desire. I say yes to your will and way. Use whatever seasonings you need to make me what You desire.
Amen~
Comments