Seasons Unaware

I love autumn, the crisp morning air and those vibrant yellow, orange and red leaves. I find it fascinating that so much beauty can come from a season of change.  Seasons.  With so much uncertainty in the world, there is however a guarantee there WILL be another spring that rolls to summer, then fall and eventually winter.  Once winter wears out its welcome, according to God’s design spring again bursts forth.

Recently the Lord showed me that just as the environment and atmosphere change, we too experience a change of season. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” (3:1) His following list consists of a time for birthing, dying, planting and harvesting, a time to tear down and to build, a time to cry and a time to laugh.  The cool part? There’s even a time for dancing! Oh Yah!  My poor sons, they cringe when mom feels the urge to dance – down the aisles at the store!  Seize the moment I say!

For some of us our season is lingering, the winter drags on, and on and on. Or perhaps something triggers you and an unhealthy season reappears, when you were confident that season had passed. Have you ever hopped in the car, after getting underway, you reach for the radio, turning it on, a song comes on and within seconds you ARE THERE!  The song brings back a familiarity either good or one that takes you back to THAT season!  A time when sorrow was your companion, pain an unwanted friend or a relationship gone wrong. Or you flip the calendar page and there it is, THE month. The one you dread, the month you experienced betrayal, or the death of a loved one.

I experienced something similar a couple of weeks ago: It was a beautiful sunny warm day, driving to my granddaughter’s school to pick her up, once in the parking lot, backing up, parking, stepping out – instantly I stopped …feeling complete dread and sorrow. Then walking towards the school, I asked God, “WHAT is this?”  He reminded me, that two weeks prior, the same scenario; sunny day, parking lot, backing up, stepping out, it was then, RIGHT THERE, I received a phone call with very traumatic news, sorrowful news – stop in your tracks news.  It was all so familiar in a way that I was not aware of.

With this revelation, I knew this needed to be broken! “In Jesus name!”  I took authority over the familiarity. (Go God) Breaking the spiritual and emotional hold.  From there I sensed Holy Spirit teaching me about the familiarity of seasons. God does not want us living in the past.  Each new day is a gift, and well if we keep our hands full of the old stuff, there isn’t room for the new.  If we can’t see the stuff in our hands – ask Him.  Or we can’t identify why we are feeling a certain way – ask Him!

Times and seasons CAN be broken! Daniel praised God saying: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever. Wisdom and power are His. He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise. And knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him.” (2:20-22)

Oh God, may You reveal to us the seasons we may not be aware of, only feeling the effects. Grant us wisdom to see and address those we do know of.  Break the familiarity IN JESUS NAME!  Free us. Let there be no more stop in our tracks unaware, but moving forward with each new day … in YOU!

Beauty from ashes.

In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)