Season

season – noun
sea·​son | \ ˈsē-zᵊn \
: a time characterized by a particular circumstance or feature
: an indefinite period of time

We hear this word used frequently.
* People are in a season of rest.
* They are enjoying baseball season.
* Parents of young children are in a busy season.

Life is filled with seasons and they are marked by noticeable events. There is also no denying that seasons flow from one into another. While spring certainly has plenty of snowy days in Colorado, it always flows into summer. Spring never jumps over summer straight to fall. And while we do have snow in the spring, we never fall back into a full blown, second winter before spring finally emerges. (Even though, here in Colorado, it might feel like it does!) Seasons meander but they always flow reliably into the next season.

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.
Genesis 8:22

Do you feel like you’re stuck in an unpleasant season? Do you yearn for the next thing, the next step, the next anything? Do you feel like you are in winter #4 and springtime will never arrive?

season – verb
sea·​son | \ ˈsē-zᵊn \
: to give (food) more flavor or zest by adding seasonings or savory ingredients
especially: to make more agreeable                                                 
: to treat (something such as wood or a skillet) so as to prepare for use
: to make fit by experience

Here’s a thought: is it possible that the Lord wants to season you for the next season? 

If the Lord delays something, it is for good reason. He is not a vindictive Father. He does not delight in our hardship. However, He will tarry with us in an uncomfortable season for the purpose of His work to be done in us. After all, He has promised to complete what He has started, so He will not abandon His work in us.

o   Does He want to add depth to your flavor (ministry and testimony)?
o   Does He desire to see something specific in you that will give you greater influence?
o   Is He in the midst of preparing you for use in a unique way?
o   Are there experiences He wants to walk through with you so you are lean, strong, and fit to be utilized by Him in a certain way?

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?
It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:15-16

You, my precious friend, are needed. Your skills, talents, giftings, testimony, personality, and experiences are all needed by the Lord as He weaves His beautiful tapestry of time and story. He delighted in creating you and takes joy in growing you. This process of one season flowing into another is part of the story He is telling through you to those whose paths cross yours.

His timing is no accident.
His assignment is not haphazard.
His preparation is not punitive. 

Instead, the Lord delights in lingering with you – softening rough edges, sharpening dull armaments, and deepening your love for His work in you. It is yet another gift for you, His precious daughter, and just another way He whispers…

You are adored.