In This Season

Recently I was talking with another young woman who is a good friend about how quickly time seems to pass. We laughed and joked about how we are getting “older,” although many others that are older than us would doubtless remind us that we are still “so young.” We were discussing all of the things that have happened in our lives since college, where we are in life, where we thought we would be, and where we would like to be. Wanting to do so much and feeling like there is so much more to be done can leave us with many questions, wondering what God is doing in our lives, but Isaiah 55:8­–9 tells us: “…My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord.”

So, we decided that we need not spend another year dreading the ticking clock, but instead reminded ourselves of how blessed we are, and to be thankful for all that we have. Rather, we resolved to focus on the positive things about growing older, and not on how life hasn’t happened exactly as we imagined. Psalm 27:14 tells us, “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”

Today we have access to so many different ways of planning out our lives and pursuing what we want. At the click of a button we can log onto sites such as Pinterest, a vision board for the 21st century, which can lead to endless hours of “pinning” fun. As girls, many of us love to use this website to plan out our workout routines to the perfect body, our dream wedding, home décor, what our future children will wear, and what we will cook for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in between making all of our DIY projects, of course. While there is nothing wrong with this and it is fun to try new things and dream about all of the possibilities, it can easily become a source that leads to covetousness, discontentment and discouragement, if we are not careful.

Of course we could do things our way, how we want them to turn out, but if we look back on our own life experiences to times where we have taken matters into our own hands and not involved God we quickly remember that the outcome was likely not the best. The Bible is full of examples of those who chose to do things their own way, only to end up with problems, leading to lamenting and repentance. We are instructed in Proverbs 3:5­–6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

We cannot control everything that happens in our lives, but we can choose to be content and thankful in the season we are in. Life is not always easy, but every day that we wake up is another day God has given us, and if we look at each day as a gift in itself and not think ahead to all of our other plans and ideas we can appreciate the day we have been given that much more. In James 4:14 we read, “…whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” We are only here for a short time, and until God’s Kingdom comes we must remind ourselves to make every day on this earth count, for this is the day the Lord has made (Psalm 118:24)—but He has given us time and instructions to use it wisely, even to help or learn from other women in their different seasons (Titus 2:3­–5).

No matter what season of life we are in, we can find something good and positive in it that will be beneficial for the seasons to come. “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Start taking time to cherish every season all the more, because it won’t last forever.