Seasons

    You've probably heard the saying, "wrong place, wrong time" before. Well, that thought got me thinking about other scenarios of that saying and how it relates to seasons in our life.  It had me reflecting on the different seasons in my life, and how in each one of them God was trying to teach me something.  I can think of several examples of times in my life where I've been in the "wrong place, wrong time", right place at the wrong time, and of course at the right place, at the right time.  But then, I think to a degree, we are all at the right place at the right time. Even as I sit here to write these words, a quote I've written on a bright, pink note card stares me in the face. It reads, "A woman who walks in PURPOSE doesn't have to chase PEOPLE or OPPORTUNITIES. Her LIGHT causes PEOPLE and OPPORTUNITIES to PURSUE her." What a beautiful thought for a control-freak woman like me! 

    I can without a doubt testify that when I have let go of my current circumstances surrounding me and wholly placed them in God's hands, I have then, and only then, experienced TRUE peace, TRUE contentment.  I can then breathe a sigh of relief and believe I am truly at the right place at the right time. I think of Esther and the phrase "for such a time as this" and I smile.  To think the creator of the universe has seen it fitting to pluck me out of obscurity and place me right here, right now, living this life, married to this man, mothering these children, and walking out this faith in a perfectly beautiful, although never perfect, journey makes me smile. It becomes all too easy to be swept up in the seemingly insignificant moments of my day and the never-ending to-dos that I can soon forget that this life is not about me. It's not about my family even. We are all small, though valued parts of a much bigger purpose and plan. I'm beside myself thinking that The Lord would choose to use me though.

    Along the way though, we can find ourselves in one of a few seasons of life: wrong place, wrong time; right place, wrong time; right place, right time.  Perhaps you feel God has definitely brought you to exactly where you are and you are convinced all will be right in the world.  When you hit a roadblock though, you may be tempted to question what you were so sure you heard from the Lord, or you begin to grow frustrated. Often times though, as I have learned, God is just beginning to teach you something in that season.  

    I think of the many times where I felt I received a God-idea for something, and it just didn't work out right away or in the way I thought was best. Again, I am reminded it is not about me. His ways are not our ways. I can either submit to the process or grow very frustrated, which almost always turns into weariness. Hear me though, you may be in the right place, but God's timing is not constrained by our timeline. Oh how small and limited our perspective is. If we could just choose to cling to Him, relying on Him for our every need, and not throw an all-out control fit then I'm convinced He will bring us into the right place, right time season.  

    In every season of my life, the quicker I have submitted to Him, the quicker he has brought me through those "hallway" moments we tend to get ourselves stuck in whilst trying to pry open and beat down every door in sight by our own means. A sweet lady recently shared with me the idea of "God margins". That is, the distance between what we can do on our own, in our own capabilities and gifting, and what God has called us to do or who He's called us to be. That is the God margin. What a beautiful picture. I recently found myself praying these very words, "God I cannot do anything on my own. I cannot achieve or accomplish anything without you. I am weak, and I need you to be strong." A very humbling prayer, but I am positive that when we come to Jesus with that kind of honest heart, He is faithful in supplying our every need. When we are weak, He is strong. His power works best in our weakness.

    So maybe you find yourself in a season of feeling like you're in the wrong place. Maybe you are. Or maybe you're in the right place, but He is still trying to teach you something to bring out of the hallway and in through that door.  If we could just learn to trust His plan, His timing, and His strength we may surely find our waiting time in the hallways of life shortened or at least less painful.  Speaking of painful, pruning is painful. Those of you who've experienced God's pruning can relate. "All that I am will serve you Lord." I just desire to bear more fruit than I desire to avoid the pain in the process.