When The Season SUCKS
She pulls onto her street. A group of neighbor kids are playing ball. She stops and waits until they get safely our of her way. Her neighbor is washing his new car, his wife comes out their door and waves a friendly hello. She waves back before she pulls into the driveway of her own beautiful home, stops the car, grabs her purse, and opens the car door hoping the neighbor went inside so there wouldn't have to be any conversation.
Instead, her neighbor calls out a friendly hello. She says hi back as she shuts the car door.
"How are you?" the neighbor asks.
"Good," she nods her head walking toward her front door. "You?"
"Really good. Everything is going really well right now."
"That's great to hear," she feigns a smile while unlocking the door to her home. She steps in and calls out, "Have a good night," before closing the door tight behind her.
Her cat is there to greet her as she slips off her shoes. She picks up the cat and walks to the kitchen to drop her things on the island in the kitchen, then gets a big glass of water. Out the kitchen window she sees the neighbors interacting and having fun.
She takes the glass of water and sits down on her favorite chair. Holding a pillow close, tears trickle down her face. The feeling of being the only one who is struggling while others are doing so well, tears at her heart. She feels utterly alone.
Ever feel like you are the only one struggling?
That everyone around you is doing just fine and you are not?
You may even be blessed beyond your wildest dreams, however there is things in your life, your heart, and your mind that hurt.
Ever prayed and prayed, yet it seems there is no answer while other's are rejoicing in answered prayer?
Ever been in a painful, struggling season filled with losses and those closest to you are in a season of everything seems to be going perfect?
It is hard to be in a season of loss, a season of waiting, a season of pain, a season of illness, a season of dealing with death, a season of hoping, any season, when we compare ourselves to other people's GOOD seasons.
I know.
I have been there many...many...times. It is hard.
I have also been on the other side when people are in a bad season and I am having a good season. I have had it voiced to me that I wouldn't understand. Everything is good for you.
I will shake my head in bewilderment since I may have just went through an incredibly horrific season and everyone seemed to be in a good season.
It is a very lonely place during those hard seasons.
Very lonely.
When Ben and I were trying to have a child and dealt with miscarriages, it seemed everyone around us was having a baby. When Ben and I were dealing with financial and job setbacks it seemed everyone around us was thriving. When I am having a bad day and not getting along with people it seems as though everyone is so darn happy and lovey with each other. When someone in my family is sick it seems like everyone is healthy enough to climb Mt. Everest!
Right now we are in a period of receiving answered prayers for some things that have been on our prayer list for a very long time.
We are also in a period of waiting desperately for an answer to other prayers.
And we are in a period of a answer to prayer that comes with many responsibilities and heartache.
Yet, how easy is it for other's to only see us receive the blessings and not realize how long it took before the prayer was answered. Or to see that maybe in another area we are really struggling?
Pain can cloud vision.
When comparing seasons, I can look at other's and only see what I desire in my life and not look at their entire picture.
Waiting seasons are hard.
Painful season are hard.
Mourning seasons are hard.
Many season are hard.
Many seasons are good.
In the mix of good seasons there usually is some hard.
There is something I am learning and want to share with you.
When I was younger one of my favorite songs was by the Byrds called "Turn! Turn! Turn!" Loved it.
The lyrics go, "To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose under heaven..."
The lyrics go on about all of the different seasons in life. Birth, death, healing, laughing, weeping, etc.
I didn't know at the time that Ecclesiastes chapter 3 in the Bible has the same words.
Our lives are made up of different seasons.
Everyone's life is made up of seasons. Every single person in this world has seasons.
I was watching a reality show the other night and it was amazing. The star of the show had just come out of a really hard season of life and now everything seems to be coming out right.
I thought to myself, she is in a honeymoon season. A wonderful season to be in.
Yet, there will be other seasons in life for her too.
When we see visible answer to prayers, it is a season to rejoice.
I need to prepare also for the harder seasons.
I need to prepare my faith to believe despite what season I am in.
Also, to not give up on praying. Don't stop praying no matter what.
Sometimes I just say, I don't have words to pray anymore, but God, I am still coming to you with this issue.
Prayer isn't just about being heard. It's listening too. Sometimes I have learned I just have to listen.
There is a really hard lesson I learned in one season, there are time I have to walk through the season and it doesn't change, instead, I learn to deal with the issue and go into another season.
That happens with death. That sometimes happens with illnesses, relationships, jobs, finances, dreams...
I just want to pass on something I am learning during season's that really suck...if your season sucks right now. You are seriously not alone. Many people are in season's like that too.
And...you are not alone.
Here is a clear indication that you are not alone.
Me, and probably many other people are writing messages to encourage others in their hard seasons. My best advice is - don't stop praying.
And let other's pray for you. Don't isolate yourself.
God cares about whatever you are struggling with and so do His people, even when they are in a good season and you are not.
And during the hard seasons, even when I get to the point of not knowing what to pray, and everything looks hopeless, I know, I know, I know....God loves me and this world sucks, but HE doesn't.
He loves me.
He loves you.
He hears you.
Instead, her neighbor calls out a friendly hello. She says hi back as she shuts the car door.
"How are you?" the neighbor asks.
"Good," she nods her head walking toward her front door. "You?"
"Really good. Everything is going really well right now."
"That's great to hear," she feigns a smile while unlocking the door to her home. She steps in and calls out, "Have a good night," before closing the door tight behind her.
Her cat is there to greet her as she slips off her shoes. She picks up the cat and walks to the kitchen to drop her things on the island in the kitchen, then gets a big glass of water. Out the kitchen window she sees the neighbors interacting and having fun.
She takes the glass of water and sits down on her favorite chair. Holding a pillow close, tears trickle down her face. The feeling of being the only one who is struggling while others are doing so well, tears at her heart. She feels utterly alone.
Ever feel like you are the only one struggling?
That everyone around you is doing just fine and you are not?
You may even be blessed beyond your wildest dreams, however there is things in your life, your heart, and your mind that hurt.
Ever prayed and prayed, yet it seems there is no answer while other's are rejoicing in answered prayer?
Ever been in a painful, struggling season filled with losses and those closest to you are in a season of everything seems to be going perfect?
It is hard to be in a season of loss, a season of waiting, a season of pain, a season of illness, a season of dealing with death, a season of hoping, any season, when we compare ourselves to other people's GOOD seasons.
I know.
I have been there many...many...times. It is hard.
I have also been on the other side when people are in a bad season and I am having a good season. I have had it voiced to me that I wouldn't understand. Everything is good for you.
I will shake my head in bewilderment since I may have just went through an incredibly horrific season and everyone seemed to be in a good season.
It is a very lonely place during those hard seasons.
Very lonely.
When Ben and I were trying to have a child and dealt with miscarriages, it seemed everyone around us was having a baby. When Ben and I were dealing with financial and job setbacks it seemed everyone around us was thriving. When I am having a bad day and not getting along with people it seems as though everyone is so darn happy and lovey with each other. When someone in my family is sick it seems like everyone is healthy enough to climb Mt. Everest!
Right now we are in a period of receiving answered prayers for some things that have been on our prayer list for a very long time.
We are also in a period of waiting desperately for an answer to other prayers.
And we are in a period of a answer to prayer that comes with many responsibilities and heartache.
Yet, how easy is it for other's to only see us receive the blessings and not realize how long it took before the prayer was answered. Or to see that maybe in another area we are really struggling?
Pain can cloud vision.
When comparing seasons, I can look at other's and only see what I desire in my life and not look at their entire picture.
Waiting seasons are hard.
Painful season are hard.
Mourning seasons are hard.
Many season are hard.
Many seasons are good.
In the mix of good seasons there usually is some hard.
There is something I am learning and want to share with you.
When I was younger one of my favorite songs was by the Byrds called "Turn! Turn! Turn!" Loved it.
The lyrics go, "To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose under heaven..."
The lyrics go on about all of the different seasons in life. Birth, death, healing, laughing, weeping, etc.
I didn't know at the time that Ecclesiastes chapter 3 in the Bible has the same words.
Our lives are made up of different seasons.
Everyone's life is made up of seasons. Every single person in this world has seasons.
I was watching a reality show the other night and it was amazing. The star of the show had just come out of a really hard season of life and now everything seems to be coming out right.
I thought to myself, she is in a honeymoon season. A wonderful season to be in.
Yet, there will be other seasons in life for her too.
When we see visible answer to prayers, it is a season to rejoice.
I need to prepare also for the harder seasons.
I need to prepare my faith to believe despite what season I am in.
Also, to not give up on praying. Don't stop praying no matter what.
Sometimes I just say, I don't have words to pray anymore, but God, I am still coming to you with this issue.
Prayer isn't just about being heard. It's listening too. Sometimes I have learned I just have to listen.
There is a really hard lesson I learned in one season, there are time I have to walk through the season and it doesn't change, instead, I learn to deal with the issue and go into another season.
That happens with death. That sometimes happens with illnesses, relationships, jobs, finances, dreams...
I just want to pass on something I am learning during season's that really suck...if your season sucks right now. You are seriously not alone. Many people are in season's like that too.
And...you are not alone.
Here is a clear indication that you are not alone.
Me, and probably many other people are writing messages to encourage others in their hard seasons. My best advice is - don't stop praying.
And let other's pray for you. Don't isolate yourself.
God cares about whatever you are struggling with and so do His people, even when they are in a good season and you are not.
And during the hard seasons, even when I get to the point of not knowing what to pray, and everything looks hopeless, I know, I know, I know....God loves me and this world sucks, but HE doesn't.
He loves me.
He loves you.
He hears you.
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