Tis a Season

This morning while I was doing my morning straighten up I came across 2 sets of small hand weights that were not where they were supposed to be. As I picked them up and placed them back in their proper home I began to think about the time and the reason I had even purchased them. Back at the height of the pandemic I, like many others, sought out ways to keep myself occupied while we were at home. One of those ways was physical movement, specifically through a program called Refit Revolution. It is a dance style fitness program and I truly love doing it. There is just something wonderful about turning up the music and moving your body. That endorphin release is truly amazing.

And during the majority of 2020 while we were locked down more than we weren’t I was in a season where I could be consistent with that particular daily activity. However, as things began to lighten up and restrictions got looser our schedules also got busier again. That meant that my season of being able to dedicated 45 minutes to an hour every day to turn on the TV and do a fun workout was also slowly melting away.

Today as I looked at those weights I began to feel that hidden level of guilt that Satan wanted to plant into my day. That guilt that because our schedule has gotten so busy again that I let that one aspect of my day and my routine disappear. And I’ll be honest when I say that I almost let it pull me down. But then I stopped and I thought about what it was I was doing that ultimately led me to those weights in the first place. I was deep in the middle of my morning routine. I was actively trying to get things on my list accomplished so I could move on to the more exciting things in the day. I knew that while I may not be in a season that allows me to work out, or go out to coffee with friends, or be as active in the hobbies I like to do that doesn’t mean that I will be in this season forever. It also doesn’t mean that I am doing anything wrong or that I’m failing, even though it really would seem like it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us:

3 There is an occasion for everything,
and a time for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to give birth and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to uproot;
3 a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;
6 a time to search and a time to count as lost;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to be silent and a time to speak;
8 a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace

In this poem, Solomon was sharing the wisdom that God had granted him when he asked for it. Here we see that God has determined our seasons for us. There is a time for things that give life and a time for things that end life. There is a time for celebration and a time for quiet reflection. And even though this list is extensive, it is not exhaustive. Today, as I thought on these verses I was reminded that just because the current season I’m in of raising children, preparing for a new homeschool year, ministering along side my husband in the church God has placed us in, and being involved in the community aren’t specifically named in these verses, that doesn’t mean that God hasn’t ordained this season of my life.

In fact, it means just the opposite. Today, as I began to feel myself spiral down into the sadness, frustration, and disappointment in myself for “letting myself go” I tapped into the faith that I have, knowing that I am neglecting myself because I’m not working out 5 days a week. Instead I am in a season where I am focusing on my mental well being by reworking systems and routines in my home and family. Instead of using that time to do some fun dances (which I still love), I have been using that time to ensure my family and I will be eating home cooked meals by preparing several in advance and putting them in the freezer for easy meals on busy days. I am using precious moments in the day to begin to look ahead at the coming school year and to determine what schedule will fit all our needs best. This is the season I am in.

Does that mean I will be in this season forever? Nope, at any given time this season may shift and change. Our schedules will either open up or become even busier than they already are. Or our priorities may change due to outside circumstances. But because I read in these simple verses that God is the one who sets out the seasons, I know that I don’t have to stress or worry about what season is to come. All I have to do is continue to walk day by day in faith and know that since God has placed me in this season he will see me through to the other side of it as well.

So what about you? What season are you in? Do you find yourself looking back at past seasons and wish you could be back there again? If so, what can you do to focus on the present season and make the most of it? Let me know in the comments.