It is my unique privilege to be the wife of a Children’s Director, Youth Director, and future pastor. I recognize that not everyone would be excited about this role, but to me, it’s perfect. I am also a former Youth Minister and currently serve alongside my husband, thusly mentioned, on staff at Clarkesville First UMC. We love working in ministry together, and we believe that the Lord specifically called us to this place, in these roles, in this season of our lives. Where has the Lord called you to be in your role, in this season of your life? Maybe you are in transition, waiting to hear about a specific job opportunity. Maybe you are adjusting to life as a new parent or grandparent. Maybe you are processing the loss of a loved one. Although our lives are a series of transitions and seasons strung together, our God is always the same, and He is always good.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
The author of Ecclesiastes so eloquently describes the transitions and seasons that we experience in life. Some are filled with joy, while others are difficult and we wonder how we will make it through. The reality is we will probably experience all of these seasons at one point or another in our lives. Does that mean that God is any less in control when we experience great pain or sorrow than when we experience great joy? The answer is a resounding, “No!” We worship a God who knew we would experience all of these seasons and the emotions that go along with them, and what is His response? From John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus always had the bigger picture in mind. In fact, these words from John 16:33 are Jesus speaking to His disciples before He was taken away to be crucified. He knew that there would be pain, sorrow, fear, and mourning, but He also knew that joy would come. And it did. In light of Easter, these words are even more encouraging. Jesus conquered death, and in doing so, He made a way for us to overcome and embrace the seasons of this life.
