Trusted WITH SEASONS OF LIFE

I'm a sucker for design shows. Or at least I used to be before every cable channel known to man had one. Whether it be homes, landscaping, meals or motorcycles- I enjoy watching a designer incarnate their vision. In the process I've learned some key principles of design. Repetition for example. A good designer subtly repeats certain elements like colors, shapes, textures or images. The right amount of repetition helps a design to feel cohesive. Too much makes it feel like a mess. Where does this principle of repetition come from? Creation. As the original designer, God like to scatter recurring elements throughout our existence. Take the concept of seasons for example.

We experience the cycle of natural seasons each year. We live through varying seasons of spiritual growth and development. And we walk through various stages and seasons of life. Last week we explored the idea that God trusts us with time and the gift of life. Let's take that a step further and acknowledge that God gives us different seasons of life. Whether we define it chronolgically, economically or in terms of our health or relational status- God is trusting us all with a certain season of life today. What would it mean to honor God with this season?

ARE WE LIVING IN THE MOMENT?
Humans seem intent on wishing they were somewhere else. Instead of enjoying where we're at, we often find ourselves looking ahead or behind us. Unemployed people want to get jobs. Working people want to retire. People with young kids want them to grow up and leave the nest. Empty nesters want their kids back home. Maybe a great way to start honoring God's trust with our current season of life is simply to be present in it. 2600 years ago the nation of Israel was swept into captivity by the Babylonians. God allowed this to happen after patiently pleading with Israel to turn their hearts back to Him for centuries. After the dust settled and the reality of the situation set in, the Jewish people cried out to God and asked to be set free from their season of captivity. Check out God's response. God encouraged them to be present in the present. To settle into this season. Not to wish for the past or the future. Sounds like good advice. We won't get these days back. We probably ought to live them now.

WHAT CAN THIS SEASON TEACH US?
Last weekend my family went to the farmer's market. It was fun to see what each vendor brought to sell. As we walked and sampled, I noticed something. The farmer's market is markedly different from the produce department in a grocery store because it only sells food that is in season. Grocers might pay a high premium (and pass it on to the customer) to acquire foods that are out of season in our area, but growing elsewhere. The farmer's market focuses on what this season has to offer. Doesn't life work the same way? Each phase has unique growth opportunities and lessons to teach us. God uses the Babylonian captivity to help his people learn discernment, faith and trust. What lessons are we being presented with right now?

HOW IS GOD SHOWING UP IN THIS SEASON?
Most of the time we think that God is with us when things go smoothly and has abandoned us when the bumps come. (Fickle aren't we?) I'm guessing the people the prophet Jeremiah wrote to felt the same way. They had lost everything- homes, property, familiarity and freedom. Yet, even in the midst of these (self-induced) challenges, God intended to bless them. Even if life was different for a season, they'd still have homes, food, kids and grandkids. If we keep our eyes open I'm guessing that we'll be able to see God's goodness leaking through no matter how tough this phase of life is for us.

HOW CAN THIS SEASON BLESS OTHERS?
Sometimes God tells us something that makes our heads spin. Like these words spoken to the Jewish captives who had been deported far from home:

Work for the good of the city where I've taken you as captives, and pray to the LORD for that city. When it prospers, you will also prosper.

God asked His people not to get so locked into their own season of life, but to look outward and see how this time in their lives might bless others. Even their captors. In a way, I think many of us can relate to these folks who were living in a strange land. In an increasingly mobile society, a good number of us have moved away from home and left our support networks behind. A "raise your hand" survey in our church community this past Sunday found that about 2% of us had grown up in the Raleigh area. WOW! No wonder God puts us together in communities. We need help and support- esp. from those who are in a different season of life than us. It's amazing how the overly familiar circumstances of our life can be helpful, reassuring and even inspiring to someone else. So who can you bless in this phase of life?

REFLECT:
Q: How would you describe your current season of life? What is good about it? What is challenging?

Q: How hard/easy is it for you to live in the moment? Do you tend to look back? Look ahead? Why do you think that is?

Q: What is your current season of life giving you the chance to learn? Are you embracing this opportunity? How or why not?

Q: How is God showing up in your current situation? Can you see His goodness in the midst of the challenges or uncertainty?

Q: What might you have to offer someone in another season of life? Are you connected to people in other phases? What might they have to share with you?