When Seasons Change

It has been said that no great work of literature or science has ever
been produced by someone who did not love solitude. It is also a
fundamental principle of faith that no tremendous growth in holiness
has ever been achieved by anyone who has not taken the time to be alone
with God (see Exodus 3:1-5; I Kings 19:11; Daniel 10:5-8; Acts 10:1-4;
Revelation 1:9). I believe the Lord wants my life to be a great work, so that’s where I currently find myself: developing an even deeper love for solitude.

Over the past 13 years, I’ve aimed to faithfully send out weekly
devotionals. However, in the last 4 months, a holy discontentment of
sorts seemed to emerge from out of nowhere . . . at least, that’s what
I initially thought. It wasn’t until the fog dissipated that I
realized the angst I felt originated directly from the hand of God.
Not coincidentally, that’s what happens when God allows the season to
change. What once brought immense joy morphed into a burdensome weight
because I was clueless about what the proper response should have been.

Hopefully, you’ve never seen someone wearing winter gear in the
dead of summer. The reason being winter gear is not appropriate during
the summertime. That same idea applies when God moves us from one
season of life to the next. If God says “This season is over”, but we
do everything in our power to remain there, we’re just like the dimwit
who will fight, scratch and claw his way to remain in 100 degree
weather while wearing a parka, insulated gloves & thermal underwear.

When seasons change, but we don't, we'll find ourselves talking
about the past as if it were the present. We’ll attempt to live in
what was, instead of what now isn't. When seasons change, but we
don’t, we’ll find ourselves attempting to re-live previous moments by
freeze-framing former victories. The root problem, however, gets
exposed when we realize if we get attached to methods that worked for
us in the past, we’ll continually go back to them.

In asking God to help me make sense of these jumbled emotions, I
made the mistake of praying the words of Psalm 139:23-24 (“Lord, search
my heart…”). He was faithful to His Word, and I got exactly what I
asked for! He pointed out that I tend to pursue comfort and pleasure
with an alarming passion. The dilemma I had to confront is that God
has never called me or anyone else to “pursue” comfort or pleasure.
For me, writing these messages had become pleasurably comfortable,
which also meant I was a prime candidate to have my world rocked.
Alfred P. Sloan, former president and chairman of General Motors, once
said, “The key to success does not lie in your ability to adjust to
change; it lies in your ability to anticipate change. When you see
change coming, you can move along with it rather than being blindsided
by it.” Change was nowhere on my radar, so when it arrived, I felt
like I had been sucker-punched with a roundhouse.

I’m able to exhale now that I’ve faced the music. Change is an
unavoidable and often unwelcome part of life because it pushes us away
from comfort by refusing to let us settle. But by constantly forcing
us to adapt, change sparks growth in our lives. Furthermore, when
change comes, change costs. If it doesn’t cost, it’s not real change.
Something else that makes a lot more sense to me now is this idea that
new seasons require new solutions, and new situations require
attitudinal shifts. Change isn’t a theological issue (God isn’t
against change) as much as it is a sociological issue (people don’t
like change). People fear change; God doesn’t. Some people hate
change because it scares them. The people who typically resist change
are the ones most deeply rooted in the past (sidebar: if this is you, feel free to re-read the 4th paragraph).

The seasons have changed, therefore I must adjust accordingly. As
I bid you farewell, I pray that you’ll see the big picture. First off,
as God continues to work in your own life, you’d be wise to anticipate
the day in which He graciously starts pruning you by removing those
things that have served their purpose. I’m confident that in sending
out those weekly devotionals, my purpose has been served. Because God
knows what needs to be cut back and/or cut off, you might find yourself
unable to explain to others why it’s even happening. Such was the case
with me. For those of you who reached out and inquired why the devos
were no longer coming, there’s your answer. Second, the fruit you’ll
enjoy today directly results from what you’ve invested in yesterday.
With that in mind, it might be wise to refrain from continuing to press
into something when it appears God has been preventing it. When you've
tried to make it work and it hasn't happened, accept His will in the
matter. He could be preventing you from reaping bad fruit later on.
Third, a calling can be seasonal (they can and often do change). Your
calling does not come with an automatic disclaimer stating you will do
it forever. For some people, walking out their calling will be a
life-long experience. But for others, when the seasons change, they’ll
be expected to comply. I have no doubt whatsoever that I was called to
write devotionals. I now know I wasn’t called to write them for the
remainder of my days. Finally, following Jesus means forsaking
something (see Matthew 4:18-22; Matthew 13:44-46; Luke 5:27-28; John
4:28), and that forsaking is not just a one-time event. Nor is that
forsaking always something we’d label sinful. When the seasons change,
sometimes we’re required to forsake good things in order to position
ourselves for God things.

Perhaps you too are in a place where you sense the seasons are
changing. Thinking about ending a relationship? Mourning a recent
death? Pondering a financial decision? Contemplating a career move?
Envisioning a life long dream becoming a reality? After taking time to
earnestly pray and seek the heart of God, I challenge you to test it
against this thought: as the seasons in life change, you must adjust
accordingly because clinging to the familiar just buys you comfort
today at tomorrow’s expense. The Lord’s got SO much more He wants to show you. Will you let Him?