Seasons Unaware
I love autumn, the crisp morning air, the weather changes from hot sunny days to now wrapping yourself in your favorite quilt. Oh, 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, according to God’s design. There WILL be another season. Fall and eventually winter. Winter turns to spring, where again it carries new life bursting forth.
The Lord has shown me that just as the atmosphere changes (often it is packaged within the holiday season) we too can personally experience a change of season. This season comes with a potentially entangled set of habits or life patterns and not to mention (but I will) a set of emotions.
For some of us our season is lingering. The cold emotional winter drags on, and on and on. Or perhaps something triggers you and an unhealthy season reappears. A season of your life you were confident had passed. A season when you chose quite unwisely, and the memories haunt you like a hungry hyena. Or you flip the calendar page and there it is – THE month. The one you dread. The month you experienced betrayal or the death(s) of a loved one. *
I experienced something similar a few years ago. It was a beautiful sunny fall day. I was 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 again walking towards the school. I asked God, “WHAT is this?” He reminded me, the same scenario; sunny day, cool and crisp, orange, and red leaves, school buses, and it was HERE! Here, I received a phone call with very traumatic news. Sorrowful news – stop in your track’s news. News that tore my family to its very core. It was all so familiar, in a way that I was not aware.
With this revelation, I knew this needed to be broken! “In Jesus’ name!” I couldn’t go through life filled with sorrow whenever the leaves changed. So, I took authority over the familiarity, over the dread, the sorrow. Breaking the emotional AND spiritual hold. The fall season still gives brief twinges of pain, but no longer holds its pain-filled traumatic grip on me.
God does not want us living in the past. Each new day is a gift. If we keep our hands full of the old stuff — there is no room for the new. And folks we got us some stuff. And if we are not certain what it is that is overwhelming us—ask God!
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).
Pray with me: “Father, may You reveal to us the seasons we may not be aware of. Seasons we only feel the effects. Show us. Perhaps it is time to lay a few things down, some habits, patterns and emotions. Empty our hands as we wait in expectant joy as You “… change the seasons.” Break the familiarity in JESUS’ NAME! Free us. Let there no longer be “stop in our tracks” unaware – but moving forward with each new day. With NEW stuff in our hands. Good God stuff. Your stuff. All for YOUR glory. Amen.”
Please know, we don’t forget. However, we allow ourselves to be freed from the heavy blanket of the past. God has new, restoring, healed, and healthy seasons.
- He changes.
- He removes.
- He gives.
- He reveals.
- He KNOWS!
*For my brothers, Jeremy and Jeff—when the fall season hurts. Yet, God!
He brings the new.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds” – Hebrews 10:24).
Inspired Fountain 