"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:… He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 11 NIV
Greetings prayer partner,
As we turn the calendar to the month of March, thoughts of Spring warm our hearts as March brings flowers to some while others are still shoveling snow. I am not a big fan of winter and my thoughts turn to spring right after New Year’s Day, but I have recently been praying for all of the ages in what I call this “now generation,” and pondering the many seasons of life.
I have thought about the seasons where I wished I was older, when I was couldn’t wait to be in the next grade, then eager to be in high school, then to drive, get to college, get a job…but as I get older it seems time has sped up, some days may seem long but the years are short. It is great to dream and look forward to the future and fondly on the memories of yesterday, but I am learning to be careful not to forsake the blessings of today for the dreams of the tomorrow or even a single sorrow of “what could have been”. In Christ, every moment has meaning.
Even though I am not a fan of snow it has great purpose in providing water for plants and people. Winter is an important and necessary part of God’s process to bring life and beauty in the Spring. Pause for a moment and ponder the blessings you have received throughout life and today. Let gratitude fill your heart, even if you have been waiting for God to answer a specific prayer, a deep desire of your heart that has tempted your heart to grow cold or weary in the waiting. Count and recount your blessings.
Every member of our family travels often for work and we have adopted a mindset of, “Live where you are.” This keeps us living in the time zone where we are and not where we were and helps with jet lag but even more importantly, it establishes us to be present in the places where God sends us and to engage with people God has brought us to in this moment so we remain attentive and active in serving God to be faithful to His plans and purpose.
Recently, God has also taught me to not only live “where” you are but also in the “when,” the here and now, so that we might live in the blessings and mission of every moment. We tend to want to hurry up and slow down time throughout life. Every generation tends to want to be in sometime different than the moment or season we are in but Jesus taught us to live each day in the daily bread and blessings God brings. While tomorrow may have “enough troubles of its own, it also has dreams and is a part of the destiny God has prepared for His acceptable time and glory.
We miss out on the fullness of our today when we try to live in tomorrow. You may be able to binge watch an entire season of your favorite show in a day of two, but we cannot live out the seasons of our lives that quickly.
Will you please pray with me now?
Eternal Father, help us to live in the “now,” in this moment saturated with eternal meaning whether we feel it or not. Help us to savor each season for heaven’s activity authored into our days. Remind us that You are the Creator of time and You never waste a moment but have written eternity on our hearts that we would yearn to always be with You. We want to be present in Your presence for Your purpose, to grow us and show us the opportunities to bring You glory. Thank You, Jesus, for life and life more abundant in You. In Your precious name we pray, Amen!
Kathy Branzell
President
