I love that God gives us seasons both outdoors and in our souls. And He always seems to be making something new. We see it in the surprising wildflowers blooming late, in the October days sometimes rainy and sometimes summer….in our own hearts learning to breathe and sing again.
All these seasons are so beautiful. And yet, none are perfect. The snow is beautiful to look forward to, but not always the blustery cold coming alongside it. The flowers in the spring are impatiently waited for, but the wind and the allergies overwhelm us. Still we hope for the new things coming, and then we live out that hope as the seasons materialize in all their glory, in all their difficulty.
Outdoor seasons and soul seasons always come with hope…always. And they always come with hard things…always.
Anticipating easy and pain-free seasons will leave us disappointed every time, because we cannot know anything earth-side without pain and struggle. Anticipating that the next season will (for sure this time) complete us will only leave us longing again…and again.
No season will patch our hearts complete. And no season will stay the same. They keep on moving and changing. And so do we.
So how do we anticipate the snow and bear the cold well? How do we anticipate the wildflowers and accept the wind? How do we anticipate the beauty of life when we live right next to pain?
The answer to all these questions is breathtaking. So open your eyes wide. Be ready to breathe again. It’s time to embrace your life.
Here is the way–
Anticipate what God will do in these seasons.
Anticipate the beauty of snow and the comfort of who God is in the midst of the cold.
Anticipate wholeness found in God, steady and unchangeable. The movement of your seasons cannot alter it.
Anticipate all that God will show you here.
Anticipate the woman you are becoming in God’s strength and grace.
Anticipate the new song God is making from your nothing.
Anticipate the good gifts of your season whether it be joyful summer, hidden winter, bursting spring, or silent, dying fall. God always gives good gifts right where we stand. Anticipate them. Wait for them. Become thanksgiving to God when they rush over you. Because they will.
God is making way for more. More of Him. More of joy. More of beauty. More of life. More of best…the best kind of story that belongs to Him and lovingly given to you.
Anticipate God in every season.
Anticipate only Him.
And be ready for life.
You will soon stare wide-eyed as pain meets joy. Hope meets reality. Beauty meets sorrow. Overwhelming change meets steadiness. The breathtaking wonder of snow mingles with the harshness of the winter-cold.
This is life with God.
Sierra V. Fedorko 