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Can you believe summer is almost over? It seems like we were just welcoming those long, warm summer days, and now fall is right around the corner. On September 22, fall officially arrives, bringing cooler days, changing leaves, and a new rhythm to our lives. As summer comes to an end and fall approaches, I find myself thinking about the seasons of life we all experience.
I love how the changing seasons remind us that nothing stays exactly the same. Summer gives way to fall, fall gives way to winter, and before we know it, spring comes again. Every season has its own beauty, its own challenges, and its own purpose. And isn’t life much the same way? We go through seasons of life, too.
Some seasons are filled with joy, excitement, answered prayers, family, and wonderful memories. We wish we could hold onto those seasons forever. Other seasons bring changes we didn’t ask for, disappointments we didn’t expect, or circumstances we wish we could change.
Sometimes we find ourselves in a new season of life that we would never have chosen for ourselves.
But here’s something to think about as fall approaches:
What will I do with this new season?
Life Is Full of Changing Seasons
One passage that comes to mind when I think about the changing seasons of our lives is Ecclesiastes 3:1. Solomon begins by reminding us:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
He then goes on to describe mans different seasons of life—a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.
Not every season of life is a good one, but God is present and at work in every season. Life really is filled with changing seasons.
Some changes are exciting. Others can leave us wondering what happened to the life we once knew. We don’t always get to choose the season we’re entering, but we can choose how we respond to it.
Perhaps instead of asking only, “Why am I in this season?” we can also begin asking, “Lord, what do You want me to do with this season in my life?”
This question can change the way we look at what comes next.
Some Seasons Bring Joy
Not every new season in life is difficult. Some seasons are filled with blessings we never want to end.
There are seasons when our families are together, prayers are being answered, new opportunities are opening, and we find ourselves looking around and thinking, God has been so good to me.
These seasons are gifts. But sometimes we’re so busy enjoying them that we forget to stop and thank the One who gave them to us.
This verse appears within a psalm of praise and thanksgiving, reminding us to recognize God’s goodness and respond to Him with gratitude.
Slow down. Be grateful. Make the memory. Call the person you love. Thank God for the ordinary blessings that can so easily become invisible because we’re used to having them.
A joyful season doesn’t mean life will always remain the same—seasons change.
That is why gratitude matters.
When we recognize God’s goodness in the season we’re in today, those memories of His faithfulness can become something we carry with us when a more difficult season eventually comes.
Some Seasons of Life Are Hard
Then there are the seasons of life none of us would choose.
A season of grief. A season of uncertainty. A season of disappointment. A season of waiting for an answer to prayer. A season when someone we love is struggling, or when our own plans seem to have fallen apart.
Maybe you are in that kind of season right now, I want you to know something: You have not been forgotten by God.
Psalm 34 is a beautiful reminder of God’s nearness to those who are hurting.
God doesn’t promise that every difficult season of life will disappear quickly. But He does promise His presence.
Sometimes we want God to change our circumstances immediately. And sometimes He does. But sometimes He meets us right in the middle of those circumstances and gives us strength for one more day.
You may not understand why you’re walking through this particular season.
You may not see what God could bring from it.
But you can still hold onto Him. One thing is for sure: if we are thankful in the good times and the bad it will change our life and how we look at the bad times.
My dad used to say, “You can always find something to be thankful for; just look around you.”
We all have had many blessings in life; I always start there. I start naming my blessings and thanking Him for each one. Then my attitude begins to change as I see what I have to be thankful for, and I thank Him for my life and the many blessings He has given. I truly believe a thankful heart is a happy heart.
What Can God Teach Us in This Season?
One of the hardest things about a difficult season is wondering whether anything good can come from it.
But God can use even the seasons we would never have chosen, to grow our faith, deepen our dependence on Him, and teach us things we might never have learned otherwise.
James 1:2–4 tells us that the testing of our faith produces endurance.
That doesn’t mean we have to pretend that difficult things don’t hurt. It means we can look for God in all seasons of life, rather than believing He is somewhere far away from it.
Maybe this season is teaching you patience. Maybe it is teaching you to trust. Maybe God is showing you that you are stronger than you thought—not because you can do everything on your own, but because He has been carrying you.
And maybe someday, something you learned during this new season in life will help you to encourage someone else who is walking through a similar valley.
We don’t always know what God is doing while we’re in the middle of a season. In fact, I sometimes find that if it’s revealed, it is long after the fact. Sometimes we understand only when we look back.
But even when we don’t understand, we can trust the One who does.
Are You Ready for the Season That Is Coming?
As we think about the changing seasons around us, there is another season we should never forget. It is a season that is coming for every one of us, whether we are ready for it or not. Jesus is coming again.
The Bible doesn’t tell us to spend our lives trying to figure out the exact day or hour. Instead, we are told to watch, be ready, and live in the light.
Paul wrote about the coming “day of the Lord” and reminded believers, “so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Jesus also compared His coming to the days of Noah. People were going about their everyday lives, eating, drinking, marrying, and making plans—until the flood came. They were not prepared for what was coming. Jesus warned them to be ready.
We should all stop and ask ourselves this very important question: Am I ready for this season?
We spend so much time preparing for the seasons of this life. We prepare for a new school year, a new job, retirement, a move, or a new chapter in our families. But there is one season we cannot afford to overlook.
As you enter whatever new season of life God has placed before you, are you ready for the day when Jesus comes to gather His people? Have you put your trust in Him? Are you one of His people?
You can read His words in Matthew 24:36–44. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew24%3A36-44&version=NASB
Do you need help today? In this Season of Life?
Maybe this new season of life is the first time you have really considered leaning on Jesus. Maybe you have heard about Him before, but you have never truly placed your trust in Him.
You don’t have to have everything figured out before you come to Him. You don’t have to make yourself better first. Jesus invites you to come just as you are.
Jesus said, “Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28
If you are tired from carrying your burdens alone, you can begin today by simply talking to Him. Tell Him what is in your heart. Tell Him about your fears, failures, questions, and your hopes. He already knows, and He loves you. He wants to hear from you; it’s His plan. Read about it: https://debbiesilvey.com/gods-plan-of-salvation/
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