Seasons

Seasons

Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

NOT LONG AGO, as I made my way through my local grocery store buying all the things necessary for that week, I found myself daydreaming about when my husband and I were first married. How meal planning then took little effort, if any, and how sometimes, I secretly long for those supposedly easier days once again.

During that shopping trip, I got a text from a younger woman who is struggling with some things in her career—she told me she longs for another season in life, one that will be “easier” than her current situation.

As I drove home, I was convicted about how easy it can be to remember the good parts of our lives and dismiss the hard. And although some seasons are more demanding than others, we all have things that are good and things that challenge us during each phase of life—and being grateful for the season I am in is a choice I get to make.

As I began to put my things away at home, I quietly thanked God for the gift of my family, for food to eat, health, and a home to make meals and memories in. By the time I was done putting everything away, my heart was bursting with gratitude for what I currently have. It’s not a perfect season, that’s for sure, but it is still one worth being grateful for today.

It’s often easy to focus on what is hard about the current season we’re in and not notice the good. Sometimes, we can look at others’ lives and think they are in an easier season (which may or may not be true) and long for something different. But there is always good and hard, working together in all seasons of life. They may be different struggles, but one is no less valid than another. Remembering to give thanks will remind us of the goodness of our current season.

Lord, thank you that no matter what season we find ourselves in, we can find things that we are thankful for. May you direct us, each day, to notice and appreciate all that you have given us. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: Write out five things you are thankful for in your current season and place the list somewhere you will see it throughout your day.