Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.
The concept of seasons is one I had to get myself well acquainted with over the last few years. In life there are seasons for everything. A season for joy, for sadness, for strength and weakness, for trials and triumphs, and “a time to plant and to pluck what is planted” (Ecclesiastes 3:2), and so much more.
What matters is not necessarily the seasons we go through but how we choose to navigate through them.
One of the most difficult seasons of my life was after I graduated from college. I had an idea of what I thought post-grad life would be like and what my next steps were going to be. To my surprise, things didn't quite go as planned. This created a sense of confusion and having no direction as to what to expect or do next. This was the beginning of a season in my life that I had never anticipated and an experience that I was very much uncomfortable with.
It was during this season that a feeling of failure crept in and a sense of not being good enough tagged along, making it almost crippling. It affected me in ways I never expected, to the point I couldn’t even get myself to pray about my circumstances. It took me a while to realize that the devil was trying to take away the biggest weapon in my arsenal, prayer; to make me defenseless and weak because he knew that, without God, I am nothing and could be easily broken. And boy was he doing everything he could to make that a reality. During this dark season, I must say, it was the prayers of my parents and family that carried me through. I honestly believe those prayers kept my faith from failing. It reminds me of the time Jesus prayed for Peter in Luke 22:32.
Prayer does not necessarily change our circumstances, but changes us to where we can be refined and come out of it with a faith pure as gold.
One day, I chose to pen what I was going through and all the questions that came to mind. It was on that day that I realized I was in a season. I remember writing, “If I’m well aware that this is just a season, why then am I allowing it to have victory over me? Why am I allowing fear to overwhelm me? Why am I allowing this season to cripple me and put me in a place full of self-pity and spiritual paralysis?” These were the questions I chose to leave that entry with. And it was the first time I prayed and asked God to help quiet my fears and help me stand firm against the attacks of the enemy during that season. Then God used the next couple of days to pour into me and get my “prayer knees” back. Four days later, I went back to my journal to renounce the spirit of fear, accepting that being confused is just a part of life; after all, it is said, “The clearest way forward is through the fog.”
I just had to be patient for the fog to clear, in order to see what was on the other side.
It is easy to say we trust God and what He is doing when things are tangible and are going according to plan. But is that truly faith? It was through my difficult season that I truly learned what it meant to trust God. I realized I would say, “I trust God ... He’s in control,” but I would often find my hands on the steering wheel unwilling to fully let go. Maybe this was the reason I had to go through that season. God was maturing my faith; a work only the Holy Spirit could do. I couldn’t understand why I was trying to stay in control because deep down I knew there was nothing in my life I did by my own strength. But this time it was so clear, so evident, that it was God who directed my steps. After all, it was always Him that continuously showed up and carried me through.
You may find yourself relating to this. Maybe you are still going through such a season and wondering why, and experiencing feelings of fear, confusion, failure, and uncertainty. I pray that you can lean on Christ during this time and allow Him to guide your steps. Let go of the notion of what you planned, what you have preconceived of what your life should be like. Accept that there are seasons in life. God tells us in Genesis 8:22,
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
There is never going to be a time when we won’t be in different seasons. Let us make sure that we allow for God to take control in each season and let us have a shift in perspective that is necessary to approach each season. Because how we react within those seasons is going to have a direct impact on how things will unfold.
God is more concerned in who we are becoming rather than where we are heading.
I pray that we can keep our eyes fixated on Christ as opposed to the surrounding circumstances; so that we are able to weather the inevitable stormy seasons with grace.
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:3-5)
My name is Mintesinot Zeleke, I go by Minti for short, and I wanted to share what God has been teaching me. I am a worship leader at Shalom Ethiopian Church and I am grateful to be able to do ministry on that platform. I hope this resonated with you and you were able to take something from it.
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