Sometimes Blessings take Time, Seek through Seasons

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Galatians 6:9

Seasons are Rewarding after the Adversity

Throughout the past few seasons, I have really had to dig deep into my soul and my faith. Many times, I have struggled to keep my faith going strong and trusting God in the midst of what I couldn't see. Many times over the last few years I've really had to put my pride to the side and trust the path laid out before me, even when I hated and hurt walking through it.

Trusting the Process, Is a Hard Road

It can be a hard road to trust in someone or something that isn't even seen yet but so omnipresent. How could I place my trust into the hands of something so unknown, so unreal to the eyes? As a therapist, we always tell our clients to "trust the process" even when working through goals and hard work. As the therapist, we see the long term goals, we see that if clients trust in us, we are able to create an end goal that helps them better themselves and even sometimes their relationships and careers. The clients don't see this at the beginning though so they become more fearful and scared, they put up more walls and try to control the outcome. At first, they aren't so willing to walk through the hard season of making their future better by working through what they can not see in the difficult moment. They see it as putting all of their deep-rooted problems into an unknown person and that is scary. But as a therapist, you know. You know if they just do the work and trust, it will work out in their favor because they've gotten through the hard season and done the work.

Trusting is Key

Trusting is key. Pretend you are a parent and you have a child that wants to always ride their bike across the street. You consistently tell them not to cross the street to keep them safe. But your child is curious and stubborn, prideful. The child wants to ride somewhere they've never been before, they don't want to obey or do what you've told them to protect them. They want to do what they think is best for them at the moment so, they don't follow what direction has been placed in front of them. Little do they know, that you, as a parent, are protecting them from the car speeding down the street, you've seen it ahead of time. If they go into the street away from the plan you've made for them, they will get hurt. But as that child without faith, you don't follow what is keeping you safe, you follow your own desires and are led to a season of sorrow. Hurt. Pain. You have to trust.

Seasons Are Full of Battles

It's a battle when we walk through difficult seasons. When we are faced with seasons of sorrow or drought, the battle lies within our hearts and minds. In the midst of our battles, trusting is not an easy process. In a season where it seems like nothing works out you must dig deep. You must instill hope that there is a bigger plan than what you see in front of you at the time. Seasons also become hard because as humans we love to compare what we don't have at the TIME to what others do have NOW. Some people have their dream job, their dream house, their dream relationship. It constantly seems like things work out in the favor of others while you are desperate with faith and all you reap are more disappointments. TRUST. Seasons always bring us lessons. Sometimes the lessons are right in front of us and sometimes the lessons need to take many seasons to grow through and learn. When walking through our difficult seasons, we have to let go of the feeling of instant gratification. The feeling that if it's not better right now, it can never be again. BECAUSE IT CAN BE AND WITH THE WORK AND TRUSTING THE PROCESS, IT WILL BE. You just have to be willing to walk through and fight through the battle.

Season of Drought

For me, my battle was a season that lasted 3 years. I call it my season of drought. My season of drought is where I began to dig so deep into my faith that I was consumed with my own will for my life. I wanted my will to be done over what the plan for my life was outside of myself. Then I went straight from my season of drought to a season of doubt. In this season, I lost my faith completely because I felt like I trusted with all of my might and saw no change or miracles in return. I began to shut my bible. I closed my heart. I would worship and feel a presence but instead of it being joyful, it was heavy and dark. I would begin to cry tears of defeat, anger, sadness. This time it was no longer tears of thankfulness but, tears of betrayal. I denied my faith in front of many because I was angry. The season of doubt taught me that even throughout the anger, hurt, and disappointment, God would never leave my side. My faith would be restored, eventually. But, I had to CHOOSE to be present in the now. I had to CHOOSE to face the battle in front of me. I had to CHOOSE to know that even though I couldn't see it, what was being placed in front of me was going to help me with my journey. It was going to bring me to where I was meant to be.

Let Go Of Your Own Will, There is Always Plan

So, in the end, as we go through our seasons, we must have faith that what is being placed in front of us is a lesson and potential victory. What is being taken from us is a lesson. How we chose to handle these battles and face these disappointments, is a lesson. If we truly hand over our will and ask, "Why is this happening?" "What am I learning from this?" "How can I make it through this?" "Show me what path I need to take," it will lead us out of the seasons of hurt. Remember our time, is not the time of God or the Universe. Our time is selfish, God's timing for our seasons is always the right time. You will indeed receive the answer to your path. Sometimes that journey takes years, sometimes a few months, and sometimes in your heart, you know where you are called to end up. Deep down, I think we all know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is a victory in the battles we face. Think to what you are being guided towards, what is your heart telling you? What is your mind telling you? Choose to walk in faith. Choose to fight the battle with love and an open heart. You will end up on the road to the right plan for your life, the season of VICTORY!!

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing"

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8