A New Season
The leaves on the Japanese Maple outside my office twitched under the falling raindrops. I pulled on a sweatshirt and peered through the mini-blinds. It sure doesn’t look like May, I thought. A thick grey veil lay across the sky threatening a full day of rain.
I didn’t mind. No rush for summer to arrive. Summer meant change.
And change is difficult. It makes me melancholy. Irritable. And this year, the changes are going to be big: my daughter will graduate from high school, spread her wings, and fly off on her own; my parents will be forced to swallow a higher dose of the grief that age and illness have prescribed; a friend pinned by unexpected pain will face an uncertain future; and this year all my sisters moved out of state, our once close family—in proximity as well as friendship—now drifting, sibling by sibling into different orbits.
I raised the mini blinds, plopped into my chair, and reached for my Bible, but sadness hung on me like the wet leaves on the tree outside the window and I left the Bible unopened on my lap. Drip, drip, drip. Rainwater crept through a crack in the gutter, and my tears fell with the rhythm of the rain.
I sat there steeped in misery for some time before I reached for a tissue and prayed, Lord, I don’t like this season of life. How do I cope with these painful changes and maintain any equilibrium or optimism?
The leaves shuddered under a sudden gust of wind and the clouds broke loose, but I didn’t see them. Or the rain. Just the interior of my brain as a melancholy muse peddled around a solitary track in my mind. Lord, please show me how to navigate this season with hope and grace.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
Steady in the Storm
As the clouds slipped silently past, a patch of blue sky peeked through the Maple tree’s dripping branches, then ducked out of sight.
I blinked and strained forward, searching the sky for more bits of blue, but a coalition of clouds spread out and rolled en masse past the window. Finally, I sat back. No matter. I had seen it and I had heard God speak to my heart, “Today’s view may be all clouds and drooping leaves, but take heart, I am the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and there are blue skies ahead!”
Today's view may be all clouds and drooping leaves, but take heart, I am the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and there are blue skies ahead! Click To Tweet- Like the eternal joy of seeing my daughter launch into adulthood and live the life God has planned for her.
- Like the eternal joy of spending more time with my parents as I care for them.
- Like the hope of redemption for a hurting friend.
- Like the heightened joy of a visit from an out of town sister.
Perhaps you too, are in a painful season of transition. Take heart, though it may feel like your world is crumbling, God doesn’t change. Not ever. So anchor your heart in His. And when the thunderclouds gather and the rain falls? Remember: There are blue skies ahead!
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19
What has helped you through difficult seasons in your life?
For further encouragement: Psalm 46:1-11, Heb 13:8, Malachi 3:6, Numbers 23:19
Comments 10
Like any storm after it is over, there is a freshness and cleaness. Thankful that God is our anchor in our storms and that He cleanses and refreshess us when the storms pass.
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Pam, sorry for the delayed reply, your comment didn’t show right away. I LOVE your insight about the freshness and cleansing that storms leave in their wake. What a paradigm shift that could bring to our struggles if we allow that insight to really penetrate our hearts as we live in the hope of it. Thanks so much for blessing us with such a rich insight.
When I was in the middle of a heart wrenching storm last winter, willing my mind to look to God’s eternal perspective, like you did, eased the pain and gave me hope for some positive outcomes God might provide. Thanks for so eloquently showing and reminding us of these things.
That eternal perspective can really transform our outlook and bring real hope. It’s choosing to take our mind there, instead of allowing it to run rampant, that is key. Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
God’s Word always anchors me in the storm. Keeps me from drifting too far from Him.
As for change, Bethany, you will navigate these waters the same as you have in the past. One day at a time with the Lord your God leading you and showing you the way.
Yes, God’s word is the anchor that always holds, no matter the storm. Thankful for it!
Anchor in His immutability – rich and timely truth, my friend. Thanks for speaking perspective into my exhaustion. God just uses you to do that. Praise Him. Thank you.
Exhaustion makes navigating change even more overwhelming, well I know. God’s immutability means there’s something solid we can hold onto and rest against, amidst the waves. Thanks for sharing. ♡
There are several things that anchor me:
1) No storm lasts forever
2) God calls me into a storm. He’ll give me endurance, strength, and grace for the storm.
3) Through God, I’m already equipped for said storm.
4) There’s peace in the middle of the storm and…
5) I’m never alone in the storm
Reading this is a great encouragement to remember that when a atmospheric storm happens, I’m not the only one dealing with it. Often when a physical or spiritual storm hits, I’m also not usually the only one dealing with it. Helps me keep focused.
Thanks, Bethany.
I think I like your very first point the best “No storm lasts forever.” Amen and amen! Praising God for that! There are different types of storms, but one God who can tame them all. Thanks for sharing your hard-earned wisdom and insight.