When Your Season Ain't Pleasin', He's Got a Reason

Ever feel frustrated with where God has you? Feel like you are running through life as though on a treadmill? It is easy to get angry at our situations, especially when we compare ourselves to that of a peer. The enemy has a way of showing us all of the positives of everyone else around us, doesn't he? Punk.

We have all been there; I was there very recently. I was at a breaking point in my life. My world flipped upside down due to some unforeseen situations that the enemy threw in my face. They beat me down for a while. I was in search of purpose for my life. I felt like I had not achieved anything with my past and wasn't able to anything with my future. The enemy had buried land mines deep inside my subconscious. As I walked the road laid out in front of me, everything just seemed to blow up in my face. I started to chase the success that the world had for me, seeking alternatives to the path that God had for me. I felt His path was either A) taking way too long, or B) was not going to work at all. As I hastily got off His path, He was quick to correct me.

During a time of prayer, He began to ask me what I thought I was doing and where I thought I was headed. I knew immediately that if He was questioning my actions, then I was headed down a dangerous road. He then reminded me that where I am in life, right this instant, is exactly where He needs me to be! The Holy Spirit then recalled Ecclesiastes 3:1-11...

"(1)  TO EVERYTHING there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:  (2)  A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted,(3)  A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up,  (4)  A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,  (5)  A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,  (6)  A time to get and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away,  (7)  A time to rend and a time to sew, a time to keep silence and a time to speak,(8)  A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.(9)  What profit remains for the worker from his toil?  (10)  I have seen the painful labor and exertion and miserable business which God has given to the sons of men with which to exercise and busy themselves.  (11)  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."

Life is a series of seasons for us. God has plans for us, but not every season is enjoyable and rewarding while we are in the midst of it. However, it is important to take the time to understand the blessings of each and every season we go through because He has put us there to learn something crucial to the next task He has for us. The more we fight His plan, the longer it will take us to advance. It would be like trying to walk up the down escalator! Quit fighting it dummy and go with the flow!

Once I came to the realization that I was in a season of labor and hardship, everything changed. I am learning very quickly to trust God and take Him at His word. When I finally gave it all up to Him, my world turned around, and now I can see clearly where I am headed. I am so blessed to be in the season I am in because I am discovering so much that I know will benefit me in the future. Furthermore, I know He has put me here to learn and become more dependent on Him and His voice.

I would encourage everyone to look at their life and take it one step at a time. Timing is everything; do not try to put the cart in front of the horse like I did. Ultimately, His plan is the best plan for our lives. It is so crucial that we seize every opportunity to take strides toward our future. Taking the reins in our own hands in an attempt to speed things up will only slow us down.