What Season Is It? [Todd]

I like seasons.

One of the best parts about living in the Southeast is getting all four seasons. Fall and spring are the best in my view (anyone going to argue for summer in Charlotte??). My favorite two weeks in the year outside of Christmas-time may be the two week transition to autumn when the light in Charlotte takes on this golden hue that you don't see any other time of year.

I also like football season, but that is another topic.

Not only do I like seasons themselves, but I like the concept of seasons as a way of organizing time and thinking about life. We talk about seasons in a marriage or in the life of a child. In church, we talk about the two ministry seasons that begin in late August and then the third week in January.

The concept of seasons also helps me organize my thinking about personal spiritual development. More than likely, you are in one of these four spiritual seasons right now:

Maybe for you it is a GROWING season. You are learning more about yourself and God and it's exciting. Maybe you are learning new aspects of the Bible, or experiencing in a fresh way the joy that comes when you are generous with your financial resources, or how liberating it is to be in real biblical community.

Maybe you are in a CONSOLIDATING season. God has taken you through some new experiences with him and now he is slowing things down, allowing you to reflect, make subtle life changes, tend to what he has been up to in your heart.

Perhaps it is a STRIPPING season where God is taking away some things you thought you needed - possessions, relationships, maybe even hopes and dreams. The stripping season is painful in many ways. It is only after it is over that we see - or begin to see - what God might have been up to.

For some, it is a SEARCHING season. You have a sense of spiritual restlessness, a yearning for more. You might be wrestling with tough questions that don't prompt easy answers.

Whatever season you are in, be encouraged by this - God is up to good in your life and he wants to use this season for you to get to know Him better and to reflect His character more clearly. Embrace your season, and don't waste a day of it.