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Don’t Fight the Seasons

While talking on the phone with a friend of mine, her fiance sent her a text. The text detailed the outsourcing of jobs at his workplace starting this summer. I immediately asked her if her fiance was effected by this. As soon as I asked the question, I said
“Don’t fight the seasons. If the season is over for this job then just go with it. God is moving him on to something bigger and better. Fighting the seasons is like fighting your blessings and God’s plan for your life.”

Ecclesiastes. 3:1 says For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…

It reminded me of a job where I was originally hired as a temp for six months. That job lasted for three years. During that three years I was diagnosed and went through treatment for cancer (a season of illness). At that time, I had no health insurance because of my temporary job status (a season of financial overwhelm). The majority of my treatment was over when I was informed of my job loss. I understood the season was over. The job did what it was supposed to do in the time frame it lasted. As a single mom in the fight of my life, it kept a roof over our heads and food on the table. I didn’t fight it. I was at peace. The job no longer belonged to me and no longer needed my involvement. The assignment was over. Since God was and is my provider, He would move me on to the next opportunity.

Management seemed surprised by my sense of peace with this news. They frequently questioned me about my response. I had peace that surpassed all understanding (Philippians 4:7). I trusted God. He was and is my provider. I later approached the Director who approved the extended time. I told her the season was over. I was thankful and appreciative for the time I was there. I was especially grateful for the support while going through my season of illness.

After a couple of months of job searching, I interviewed for a long term temp position with a different company. I was unsure this opportunity would materialize. A couple of days later, I was offered full-time employment with health benefits which was a blessing. God worked it out. Understand that every event and experience is seasonal which helps you to move forward. God is moving you to learn the next lesson and become who you need to become. He is moving you into what He has for you.

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A Simple Shift

I recently had a conversation with a friend who was having marital issues with her husband. She had been praying for him to change his ways for a long time. I knew she was weary in this effort. Periodically she would call and complain about the things he had done and said to her. Each call the scenario would be the same but the date would change. Based on her account of the events happening, both her and her husband needed to make some changes. As I listened, she claimed she was just telling me the facts about the turn of events but in reality she was complaining. When I suggested she might need to change her thoughts about the situation and/or change her reaction to the situation, she was opposed to it.

It reminded me of the time I had my own marital issues and my own complaining to God. This was a high stress time since my husband and I both worked in real estate and the market was drying up. Our income was cut in half, we were both job searching and tension was at an all time high since our marriage had hit the rocks for the last and final time. He found a temporary job and I was still looking. My marriage was over and my husband (I will call him Denis) at the time would not move out of the house we shared. Through the breakdown of our marriage Denis decided the many months previously to give me the silent treatment. I refer to that time as the ‘year of silence’ one could accurately describe as a marital wilderness. In this marital wilderness my many conversations with God consisted of asking Him when Denis would leave, why is Denis still here and telling Him, I just want Denis to go. We resided in the same house living separate lives and there was no sign that this man would leave. Since I had focused the majority of my prayers and conversations with God on getting Denis to move out, the topic became an idol. Exodus 20:3 says “you shall have no other gods before Me”. My focus on what I wanted became first in my life. It did not occur to me that this was what I was doing at the time.

After about 10 months of the silent treatment and 7 months of prayer requests for Denis’ removal, I honestly didn’t care if he stayed or left. I was tired and rightfully so since I was taking the lead and not following God’s lead. I was working in my own strength. I was depleted, a shift had to happen. I had to change. I had to let go of it. In this ‘Lord i trust You’ moment I let go of the situation, the emotions, the complaining and the end result. Philippians 2: 1 says “Do everything without complaining and arguing”. My prayers at the time weren’t thanking God for working this situation out for my good (Romans 8:28), they were complaints of misery as to why things weren’t progressing at a more rapid pace.

My prayers and conversation with God shifted to asking Him what He wanted me to do instead of telling God what I wanted Him to do. As I would soon find out, God was working this entire situation out for my good. About a month later I started seeing paperwork lying around the house for jobs in other states and overseas. A couple of weeks after that, Denis announced he would be moving out of state in 30 days. Two weeks before Denis was to move out God supplied me with a great job that would cover my needs. Habakkuk 2:3 says “For the vision is yet for the appointed [future] time It hurries toward the goal [of fulfillment]; it will not fail. Even though it delays, wait for it, Because it will certainly come; it will not delay”. God’s timing is always perfect.

As the conversation wrapped up with my friend, she was less interested in her own change and more interested in her husbands change. I anticipated that a repeat of this phone call would happen again in the future. You cannot change other people, but you can change yourself. Change is a choice to either stay where you are or making the effort to move into a better position. Being in a better space and/or a better position is worth the effort. Be willing to change. The following steps facilitated my change into a better position: Step one eliminate the complaining, step two let God take the lead and step three trust God to work it out for your good.