Understanding your Seasons in Life

In pursuit of our destiny, we will live through many seasons. It is important to understand exactly which season of your walk you are in so that you can respond appropriately. There will be seasons of great productivity and forward movement. There will be seasons of trials and challenges. There will be seasons of rest and restoration. And there will be seasons of learning and growth.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 explains it this way:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
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,
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.

If you understand your season properly, then you can respond properly and can therefore move forward faster. Working out of season, will cause nothing but delay and frustration for you. If you want to move forward and progress toward your destiny, then understand your time or your season. I want to share with you three easy steps for identifying your season.

1. Figure out what frustrates you.
If you are trying to do something and it constantly feels like you are swimming upstream, then pause and pray. It is likely you may be operating out of God's perfect timing for that particular activity. It may be in line with what you are destined to do, but it just may not be time to do it. You may be in a season of rest, and trying to be productive during this season will only frustrate you and extend the rest period.

I have found many times through my life that when I set out to do something, even when it is a good thing, that it felt like it was more trouble than it was worth. When I slowed down and prayed about it, I quickly found out that I was out of sync with God's timing. When I stopped and sought his direction, I was able to get back in time with him and began to move forward at a faster pace. Several weeks later when I tried to do that same task which had frustrated me so much before, I found it was very easy and enjoyable to do. Why the difference? Because I was in the right season.

2. Figure out what is easy for you and what you are motivated to do.
It almost sounds absurd for me to say, "Do what you feel like doing", or "Do what you want to do." But, oftentimes when you are in God's timing, this is exactly what happens. You are motivated to do the things that need to be accomplished, and you want to do them. It's not hard or frustrating any more.

Usually when you are in sync with God's timing for things in your life, they are easy. Things just seem to fall into place. This doesn't mean there won't be battles here and there. We all know the enemy is out to stop us from doing what God has called us to do, but when it's His time, nothing can stop it. Difficult situations become easy when you are in the right season.

3. Submit to God daily.
This is really the most important. I make it a habit every day of my life to ask God to guide and direct me into the things that He wants or He has for my life that day. I ask him to help me accomplish the things that need to be done and I trust Him to guide me into doing them. By doing this, I experience less frustration and anxiety about the things I have to do. My to do list is very big - most people in my inner circle of life can verify this. People say to me all the time, "I don't know how you do it all." It's easy when God is guiding you. I simply do the things that are before me that day, and amazingly they get done. Occasionally, I do feel overwhelmed, but when this happens, I know to pause and pray. God always helps me prioritize things and accomplish the most important tasks first. Following His plan simplifies things so much.

Recognizing your season can make your journey to destiny a joy. Remember, our destiny will not just fall in our lap, it takes work, persistence, and determination. But if we work our seasons right, then we will experience less frustration, progress more easily, and get there in God's perfect timing.