How to find the beauty in delayed seasons
I don’t know about you, but I often find myself wishing away my present season in attempt to launch into the beautiful, life-giving spring season just around the corner. Maybe you don’t do this because you’ve perfected living in the moment with a content heart…(if so, teach me your ways). As for me, I’m still on the journey—but if there’s anything I’ve learned through the mud, misfortunes, and muck of my 24 years of life, it’s that seasons can’t be rushed.
As Propel Women, we are sent into the harvest field, using our unique passions and talents to influence our world for the Gospel, and that means pressing in to seasons. Over the past year, I’ve been through a few rounds of seasons and learned through each of them that I don’t want out…I want through. I want the sorrow in fruitful seasons ending AND the perseverance found in difficult, prolonged seasons. They always lead to God’s goodness, abundance, and a reliance on Him that can’t be manufactured.
My desire in embracing seasons came from the song Seasons by Hillsong Worship (I’ve listened to on repeat for the past year).
These lyrics hit the closest to home:
“If all I know of harvest
Is that it's worth my patience
Then if You're not done working
God I'm not done waiting
You can see my promise
Even in the winter
Cause You're the God of greatness
Even in a manger
For all I know of seasons
Is that You take Your time
You could have saved us in a second
Instead You sent a child”
These are three practices that have helped me find the beauty in delayed seasons:
1. Work the Wait
If you’re not done working, God I’m not done waiting
In the midst of our wait, our job isn’t to make the seed grow faster—the soil produces the promise. Our job is to lean into God through the wait. We can’t force a harvest to bloom. We can only nourish the soil. Strengthen the soil. Enrich the soil. We do the work we can, but God will do the work for the harvest to eventually bloom. And the good news is it’s not a wishing star we’re waiting on—we’re waiting on a God who assures us that when we wait on Him, we will renew our strength, mount up with wings like eagles, run and not be weary, and walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31).
2. Persevere to the Promise
You can see my promise, even in the winter
In the darkest seasons of my life, when I thought there was no way to breakthrough, my only choice was to cling to God’s promises. He opens doors we can’t open, heals hearts we can’t heal, and brings dreams to life we didn’t know we had. He is so incredibly good at what He does. In the book Let Your Life Speak by Parker J, Palmer, I love what he says about the beauty of spring: “Before spring becomes beautiful, it is plug ugly, nothing but mud and muck.” When we embrace the cycle of seasons, we can cling to the promise that the dark season will end and a beautiful season is just up ahead. And we’re not just waiting on spring…we’re persevering and doing good to reap a harvest of blessing God has promised us.
3. Grip God’s Greatness
You're the God of greatness, even in a manger
My favorite lyrics from this song are, “You could have saved us in a second, instead you sent a child.” What a beautiful picture. God could have snapped His fingers to save us, but instead He gave us a perfect Savior to step into our world and give us an epic picture of God’s incomprehensible love for us. Seasons are a reminder to fix our eyes on Jesus and how great God is. He is unchanging, unmoving, and infinitely richer than whatever season we find ourselves in. Seasons don’t deny the darkness or light, but help us embrace the God who has greater things in store for us than we can imagine.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Ana Munoz
Ana Munoz lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is passionate about leadership, fun, a good cup of coffee, and encouraging others to unleash their fullest potential. You can follow her on Instagram.
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