Seasons...

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4 We go through seasons in life, similar to the seasons of nature. We grow and mature, physically, mentally and spiritually. It is all part of the process called life. We start out young, active, vibrant and always learning new things as we grow. We move into another season when we begin to mature into young adults. The season changes again when we take on the responsibilities of a home, a job and a family of our own. Then comes the Winter of life as we age, see our children grow & start families of their own and our physical bodies move into a mode of slow decay until death claims us & we return to dust once again. Mixed in along the way of the various seasons of life are seasons of happiness and pain, seasons of prosperity & loss, seasons of hope and hopelessness. I think of Job & how he responded to the great losses he suffered. I wish I had his faith! I mean, I have been through a lot in this life and for the most part, I think I've managed it all pretty well although some of it has been especially difficult. But I've also had times where I whined, moaned and complained to God and I've experienced a few complete meltdowns along the way as well. Let's face it, life can be hard at times. Don't get me wrong, it can be purely joyous at times as well but we (or at least I do anyway) tend to recall the negative experiences far more vividly than the positive ones. We grow weary of the pain, the sickness, the evil of this world. Our plans sometimes get completely wrecked & nothing seems to go right. Even when we know we're doing what God has called us to, we sometimes doubt the path He guides us on. Even though we walk with Him & talk with Him daily, we sometimes question if we're really in His Will. Sometimes, we just want to throw our hands up and quit, but we can't--our job isn't finished yet! I know that I long for the day I hear my Savior say, "Well done!" and I enter Heaven's rest. I'm ready for that place of peace and calm, where the troubles of this world vanish away into the beauty and worship of Heaven and Our Creator. Problem is, apparently God still has work for me to do here--which means I have to endure, I have to keep going, I have to keep sharing Him, until He returns or calls me home. I don't get to choose the time of His return or my homegoing. I have to work on & walk the path He has for me until my time here is done & He is ready for me to join Him in that heavenly home. I must faithfully follow Him and daily choose to trust Him as long as there is breath in my lungs. There's the reality of it all--it's my choice. I choose to listen to either the promises of God or the lies of the devil. I've followed Jesus for many years & while I haven't always understood why things happened as they did, He's always seen me through them. I've reached the season of life where I have more years behind me than I do ahead, but I'm not retiring from God's work and service. I can't say that I don't want to sometimes, but I know I can't. I must walk though each of life's seasons, no matter how badly I want to give up, and work til Jesus comes. After all, He's never left or forsaken me. He's blessed me more than I deserve. He allowed me to love & be loved and to have some wonderful life experiences along the way. He's never given up on me, so I can't give up on Him either... Blessings! Tony