Seasonings...

Most human beings resist change.  We remain in jobs we hate because we fear the unknown of trying something new.  We remain locked into relationships which harm our well being because we are afraid to stand up and say, "Enough."  We spend most of our lives, day in and day out, following the same routine, because it is easy and familiar, and change is hard.

But like a pond, if there is nothing stirring the water, we become stagnant and eventually die.  It is the fresh current of unfamiliarity which keeps that pond filled with life and opportunity.

Life is change.  Cells flake off, hair falls out, we move, we risk, we stumble, we succeed.  The only real constant is that one day will never be exactly like another, because something new and different will happen every day we are alive.

January 1 is really just an arbitrary day, like every other day.  We have given it meaning, made it a marker, of sorts, because it is good to reflect once in awhile upon our lives.  New year, new opportunities - it is a season for change, and January 1 is as good as any other day to recognize the importance of what has happened in the preceding 365 days.

In Ecclesiastes 3: 1 we read,

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...."

God understands our reluctance to change.  But he also wants us to understand that without change, without risk, there is no possibility of fulfilling his desires for our lives, either.  We cannot still the tick tock of time, holding back the inevitable, because we are afraid of the future.  We must, like the current running through the pond, shake things up, stir the pot, shift our goals, and move ahead.

The year 2016 has been filled with a variety of changes for me.  I did not anticipate many of them, and have had to make major adjustments in my way of thinking, as well as my way of doing, as the months flowed by.  Some of the change is exciting, some of the change made me sad, some filled me with anxiety, and some have been a little of each.  Since I am not fond of change, it has been a stressful year in many areas of my life.

But of one thing I am assured.  For each thing that has changed, I have passed through the comfortable (or uncomfortable) season leading up to it, and now I have a new opportunity.  God has a purpose for me, as yet unknown, and everything I have done in the past has been seasoning for my future.  Resisting the changes will not stop the progress, it will merely delay the plan God has for my life.  And in every single case, God's plan has always exceeded my grandest imaginings.

In January each year, I await the coming season of my life, and all of the events that will fill my memory bank as I eventually look back in review.  Time is relentless, and the changes that come with its passing are inevitable.  This year, I am going to try to embrace the change, and rest on God's promise that in this new season, he has a plan for me.

I am well seasoned.  God has his recipe for my life.  I look forward to seeing what he cooks up for me!