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Savoring The Seasons
Jon BurgessLet us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
Nothing wears out the soul like waiting. Paul uses the metaphor of sowing and reaping to remind us that not every season is going to be a happy harvest. There will be many times when we are sowing and nothing is growing. There will be times when we are waiting and it seems nothing is changing. There will be seasons where there's no visible change because all the growth is happening underground. When we can't see what's happening we stop contending for the harvest. Just like the sun and rain are doing their thing to bring growth from the seed underground so too is the Spirit of God doing His thing to the seed that was planted through the good work we have been investing in others.
I was talking to a young leader yesterday who was frustrated that he hadn't reached the world yet with his gifts. This young man is uber talented and is passionate for the Lord and the lost. I shared with him the lesson that I am finally beginning to learn. If we don't discern the season that we are in we won't be ready for the next one. Full of zeal and vision myself I find that I grow weary of waiting and will often squander the season I'm in because I'm so looking forward to the next one. If I'm in a season of building I want the season of already built. If I'm in a season of learning I want the season of expertise. If I'm in the season of contending I want the season of breakthrough. If I'm in the season of following someone else I want to be in the season of leading everyone else. When I don't savor the season I'm in, I'm actually sabotaging the next one. If I squander the present season in frustration I'll squander my future season of fruitfulness. Trying to skip a season is to miss the power of the present. The waiting prepares the warrior. Time is the teacher and the successful student will pay attention to the lesson to be learned. To try and plant in harvest season is to miss the harvest. To try and harvest in a planting season is to ensure no future harvest to be had. To force my kids to adults is to miss the crazy kid years that I will never have back. To try and be the expert now is to miss the mentoring God is using to prepare me for what happens next. No wonder so many of us Christians are tired of doing good and wanting to quit. We aren't enjoying the goodness of this season because we are so focused on the next one. God has called us to "do good" for the long haul, not in fits and spurts for instant gratification. The patient endurance in this season produces the passionate enjoyment of the next one!
Lord, thank You for this season I'm in. It's not easy but I'm not going to skip any of it. I want to learn everything I can from what You are teaching me right now. Yes, I have a lot of vision for the future, but You gave me this morning is a vision for the present.
