Times & Seasons..

It is "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Going through tribulation to its finale is overcoming. And "He that endureth (stays under or through suffering) to the end shall be saved (healed, delivered, made whole)" (Matthew 10:22).

There are seasons we think of as "negative" and seasons we think of as "positive" in the Christian walk. The seasons we call "negative" are a necessary part of the process for our growth. I place the words negative in quotes, because there really is nothing negative about God's ways. It is in part our own lack of understanding that causes us to perceive them to be good or bad times. They may be difficult or tragic, but they are not bad.

I've had my share of both and know full well the deep pain and sorrow of heartache, disappointments and broken dreams. I thank God for both. They are in truth both times of great blessing.

Spring and Summer are seasons of birthing, planting, healing, building, laughter, dancing, gathering stones together, embracing, getting, keeping, sewing, speaking, loving and peace. It is warm and sunny in the spring and summer. These are resurrection times. Everyone loves these times (Ecclesiastes 3:2-9).

It is cold, dark and rainy in late Fall and Winter. Even so, the stark leafless trees have a beauty all their own. These are my favorite times of the year.

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There are things I can only
learn about myself
in the dark seasons of my life.
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The short cold days and long dark nights of these seasons in our lives help us see things in ourselves we never knew were there. We see things we don't like about ourselves. We also see things lovely about ourselves (surprise!). More importantly we learn things about the Lord we can learn no other way. Our old formulas don't work at these times. As we squint into the darkness of despair, we behold the ever waxing light of His countenance and we are transformed into His image from glory to glory by His Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

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God loves us just the way we are.
And He loves us too much
to leave us that way.
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These are times of dying, plucking up what is planted, killing, breaking down, weeping, mourning, casting away stones, refraining from embracing, losing, casting away, rending, keeping silent, hating and war (Ecclesiastes 3:2-9). These are the times of the cross. These times are not easy for any of us. If we allow the Lord to prune and break us, they are, however, very fruitful times.