By Kerry Steinhofer, Treehouse Ministries Staff
“Though the seasons change, Your love remains.” — United Pursuit
Right now, we are in this limbo between winter and spring with cold nights and mornings and warmer afternoons filled with sunshine. It's hard to know what to expect when it comes to weather and what season we will be experiencing from day to day. It’s the same way in our personal lives with spiritual seasons. We never know what to expect.
Life comes in seasons, and seasons change. Sometimes quickly. Sometimes slowly. Some may even overlap. You may even experience a particular season over and over again.
It’s important to understand the current season we’re in. When we don’t understand the season—especially the more difficult ones—we start to believe that it never changes. When we’re in a good season—maybe an extended good season—we can easily take it for granted. This can cause us to forget that seasons change, and then we’re not prepared for a tough season ahead. When we experience the same season over and over, just because it was harsh before doesn’t mean that the next time we walk through that season that it will be equally as difficult.
This is something that I’ve realized over the last several years. I have found myself walking through multiple seasons with the same theme. The first time around with them was challenging, but when they came back, I felt beat down and attacked again, when in reality, I already knew how to walk through the particular season but was too stubborn to practice what I previously learned.
The way we handle one season profoundly impacts how we experience the seasons that follow.
And if the Lord’s not moved then why should we be?
I quickly realized that the number one thing that I had to remember in every season is regardless of how many times the seasons change or how many times I walk through the same one, the Lord’s love for me never changes. I know that if I hold onto that truth that it will greatly impact the current season I’m in and the ones that follow.
In so many seasons—especially ones of loneliness—I’ve had to constantly remind myself of that. It sounds easy and like an obvious answer, but I know I’m not the only one who has struggled with this and needs to be reminded of the fact that when the seasons change in our lives, the Lord is not moved by any of it. And if the Lord’s not moved then why should we be? He is in charge and He is good. Shouldn’t we trust Him to get us through every season and come out stronger than before?
The one thing we can always hold on to in the middle of our season, whether it’s good or bad, is that the Lord remains. Every part of Him and who He is remains. Nothing can ever change that.