Seasons

Is the suspense killing you yet?  Are you so anxious to find out what God's response was to Sarah in her struggle to accept that she would be conceiving a child?  I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat, but you're going to have to hang on a little bit longer!  First, I want to talk contentment.

Ugh.

I know.  That's how I feel about that word too.  Today I was listening to Pastor Steven's (of Elevation Church) most recent sermon from the series Meant to Be since I missed it yesterday.  This series hits on the topics of sex, marriage, and being single, but yesterdays sermon hit the nail on the head for me.  There were 6 bullet points they (Pastor Steven and his wife) talked about, each beginning with I am Called to.  Point 3 was I am Called to: live with contentment.  I'm going to be honest, this is not something I'm great at.  Not at all.  Anybody with me on that?!  I know someone out there is saying yes, so I'll assume you understand where I'm coming from.

One of the first things he said was, "Enjoy where you are on the way to where God is taking you."  Let that sink in for a second, "Enjoy where you are."  What?!  You mean, I can enjoy where I am, right now, in this moment, whether it's good or bad?!  Yes.  You can!  For me, this is tough.  For the last almost 11 months now, I've been so anxious for something.  In my case, that something is having a baby.  I've cried, I've yelled, in fact I've said some pretty nasty things.  But I never thought about the fact that I could enjoy it.

I mean, think about it, kids are great.  Really great!  But they are life altering great.  Once you have them, you can't go back.  They determine when you wake up and when you (should) go to sleep.  They determine when, and sometimes what, you eat.  They determine where the best place to take a vacation is, and they determine what you should or shouldn't spend money on.  Every aspect of your life is no longer your own.  Now, for people like Sean and I, we haven't been married all that long.  We like our lives and living them the way we do.  And thanks to a lot of time spent apart, I think we're still figuring out exactly how to live and do life together.  So while, yeah, of course we want kids, and if we found out tomorrow that we were expecting, we would be over the moon excited.  Obviously.  But does that mean that I can't enjoy the season of life that I'm in?  No way!  I may not have looked at this way before, but I'm taking time to now.

Another point Pastor Steven said was, "I can find something to celebrate in any situation."  This doesn't just mean when time are good.  Times are not always good.  But there's always something good in every situation, even if it doesn't seem like it.  For me, in this season, I'm getting extra time in with my husband to just do life.  To pick up at any second and drive somewhere, just because we can.  To sit and watch football all day on Sunday, just because we can.  To plan vacations that we like, just because we can.  And that's ok!!  It might not have been what I planned for my life, but as long as I'm given it, I might as well find the joy in it.  

It's so, so easy to ache for the next season of life, whatever that may be.  I've done it too.  In fact, I've really spent the last 11 months doing it.  And it's been a painful 11 months.  But this is where God has me.  This is my season.  This is my life.  And that's good too!

Here's thing about that statement, "Enjoy where you are on the way to where God is taking you."  The first half is great, "Enjoy where you are," but think about that second part, "On the way to where God is taking you."  Do you get that?  You aren't going to be in this season forever.  I'm not going to be in this childless, not able to get pregnant season forever.  The timeline may not be what you or I had planned for our lives, but there is a plan.  Seasons don't last forever.  At some point summer fades, and fall will be here.  And when the leaves begin to change and eventually fall, winter will be ushered in.  But even winter, with its seemingly never-ending cold and snow, doesn't last forever.  Spring will come and it will bring new life.  And that's exactly how our lives are.  The season of hardship or frustration or anger or struggling, it doesn't last forever.  It will end, and when it ends, new life will be ushered in.