When seasons lag

Over the last four years as Jen and I have lived in Texas we've become aware that seasons in Texas do not resemble those four seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter that we became accustomed to in Oklahoma.  Oh sure Texas has those four seasons, its just that Summer lasts from June to mid October, fall takes place sometime between Halloween and mid December, and winter picks up prior to Christmas and lasts through February.  The difficulty for me in the adjustment has just been with the summer.  When your a.c. is still running in late October that season has lagged too long for me! 

In so many ways life reflects the Texas seasons much more than it does your typical and conventional calendar.  For each of us, we've experienced seasons that seemed to end abruptly that we wished would have lasted longer.  Perhaps that was a job that we enjoyed or a season of living closer to family or a good friend.  Other seasons seemed to last too long.  In those season we longed for change.  Perhaps that was a season of discontent with a relationship or job or perhaps it was personal discouragement that we longed to overcome.  

Throughout Scripture we see the people of God experiencing similar seasons that lag.  Joseph sat in a prison cell for years awaiting deliverance and justice from God with no end in sight to his nightmare.  David waited while on the run as a fugitive to someday be the king God had promised to make him.  Simeon waited for years to hold the promised Messiah that God had promised.  The apostle John waited for his returning King and Lord. God's slow and methodically steady hand has always been at work using the time and the waiting in the lives of his servants.  

As Peter mentions as he says, "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Over the last several months I have been reminded of God's goodness in the waiting.  That in spite of my desires for Him to work more quickly or transition us to a different season or stage that His purposes are refining in my own life and working for good.  Here are a few principles that have been so helpful for me to learn:

• God's called me to be present  in this moment, not consumed with what is next.   Too often we can find ourselves concerned and focused on the next season that we forget about the present one.  As Jesus says in Matthew 6, " Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  God knows how often I have found myself guilty of thinking about the next stage of parenting rather than being all in with my child in the present moment or thinking about the next season rather than fully investing with those relationships around me now.  In doing so I'm missing opportunities to see Him at work and losing time to invest my life in others.  Like Paul says, we are called to make the most of our time.
• God's timetable operates different than my own.  In my complaints about lagging seasons and stages that I'm eager to transition on there is an undercurrent from which those feelings flows that, if I were to be honest reflect a battle I fight with the idol of control.  Ultimately my complaints reveal that deep down I think I have a better idea for how this story should be written, the length of each chapter, and the details of the script.  These complaints are my balking with the way this story is going.  Instead of complaining, I must choose to trust that in the same way that God worked through the persistent faith of His servants long ago, God is also working in my own life at a speed that is steady and persistent.  My role is to trust that His timing can accomplish something in me (dependence) that can't be done in two minutes or less. 
• Rejoice all the more when those seasons of Spring lag. In just the same way that I have experienced seasons that were difficult or challenging that I longed to end, I have also experienced sweet seasons of spring where goodness and joy exceeded what I deserved.  In those seasons my response is to rejoice and express thanksgiving for God's compassion.  Over the last several months Jen and I have been remarked how grateful and content we are.  We are in a season where God's undeserved graciousness to us has overflowed what we deserve and we rejoice.