Wasted Seasons?
We have recently entered into my favorite season of the year—fall. I love it! I relish the beautiful colors. I enjoy the cool, crisp air. I take pleasure in pulling out my sweaters, boots, and thick blankets. Yes, there is much to love about this lovable season. (As I type this, I’m snuggled in my bed with my electric blanket as I sip on a nice cup of hot tea!)
The thing about seasons is they don’t last. That’s a sad thing for fall and spring, but where summer and winter are concerned, I’m glad they aren’t never-ending. Who wants summer all year long? Or winter? Yuck!
I was talking with some young ladies a week ago about the seasons of life. One of them mentioned she believed life has seasons, and God’s will for our lives also has seasons. I completely agree with her. I spent the first nine years of my adult life as a kindergarten teacher. At the time, I knew, without a doubt, I was in God’s will. But at the end of those years, something shifted inside me, and suddenly, I knew things had changed. It wasn’t that I had been out of God’s will all that time. I genuinely believe that teaching was God’s will for me at that time in my life. But then, He called me into a new profession and gave me a new passion—writing.
I’ve spent the past fourteen years as a writer/speaker, and while it’s not been exactly profitable, it’s been rewarding in more ways than I can explain. It’s been an emotional outlet for me and has allowed me to minister to people in a way that helps them know they’re not alone in their struggles.
Now, I’m in a new season, and while I do still get to dabble in writing from time to time, my main goal in this season of life is to raise our support to get to Wales. God has, once again, given me a new calling, a new burden, and I want to be obedient in following where He leads. Does that mean that my time as a writer and speaker was a waste? Absolutely not! Does it mean that God wanted us in Wales sooner, and we were ignorant of His will? I don’t think so. When God spoke to our hearts about Wales, He spoke to both of us simultaneously. That’s not a coincidence.
Life is full of seasons. Some are good, while others are less desirable. I loved my years as a teacher. I’ve enjoyed my time as a writer and speaker. I can’t say that this season of deputation has been my favorite, but I know God is using it to prepare me for the next season of life. My point is, none of it has been wasted. God has had a plan for my life all along, and that plan included many seasons. Sometimes the seasons overlap a bit. Sometimes they don’t. But each of them has been vital to getting me where I am today and helping me to become all the Lord wants me to be.
You may not be doing what you used to do. Perhaps you know what it’s like to be in a new season of life. And maybe, just maybe, you’re wondering if you’ve been on the wrong track all along. Did you pick the wrong path? Did you hear God wrong? Obviously, I don’t know your situation, so I can’t say for sure, but I can tell you this—God has a timeline, and His will for your life may have shifted as you’ve grown in Him. Maybe He did want you pastoring for a time, but only for a time. Perhaps He does want you to take that class, but not just yet. Maybe it is time to take that job or to quit it.
Don’t view a former season as a waste of time and energy but rather as preparation for the season you’re currently in and those you’ve yet to face. And, if you’re now in one of those less-than-desirable seasons, take comfort in knowing that this too shall pass. A new season is just around the corner.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”