There Came a Season

Seasons. To most of the world, seasons revolve around weather or dates on a calendar or festivals or even birthdays. At the beginning of this year, I developed a "four-year plan." In four years, my company is making some changes to its pension plan, and my plan was to get out before that happened. My prayer with regard to my goal went something like this:

"Dear Lord, I can't see the logic in staying past the proposed revision date. I would like to be out before this change takes place, and I believe to do so would be to be a good steward of all You have given us; so I am going to work toward that end. I know You can do anything, and if it is Your will I stay longer than than the four years. I know You will make that clear, and You will care for us. Whatever Your will."

I started getting things in order. And it began to look like my plan was in agreement with His plan. Until...

...there came a season. In this season, this 50+ year old woman and her same age husband immediately became responsible for two very young lives. In this season, our lives have become an open book to any state agency with a microscope. In this season, we lose sleep and square footage. In this season, we comfort and console only to be told how much the people who hurt them so badly are missed. In this season, we repeat over and over, rules and lessons and reassurances. In this season, we repeat over and over, rules and lessons and reassurances. (See what I did there?) This season is not what we had planned. This season was supposed to be past. This season was not on our radar -- at all!

Exodus 15:22, tells us the Israelites spent three days in the Wilderness of Shur, unable to find water. Now, I am not sure if this means they hadn't actually had anything to drink, but they were, at the very least, watching their water supply dwindle to nothing. In verse 23, they arrive at the bitter waters of Marah. "Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink." After days of God's faithfulness regarding their water supply, they were certain they'd found "real relief" at Marah. But God wanted them to trust Him more; He stretched them a little further. It wasn't until Moses cried out to God on behalf of the people that God made the water good to drink.

In this season, we are discovering the gift of God's grace and His strength. In this season, we are discovering that God can do amazing and supernatural things through us and for us, provided we are following His plan. In this season, we are finding the impossible becomes possible when it is ordained and brought to fruition by God. In this season, we are learning that stretching and molding are part of the Christian life -- and they are much less painful when we surrender to them. In this season, we are reassured that God's ways are higher than our ways, and His plans for His children are always good.