Most of us in Jacksonville, Florida, enjoy having seasonal weather. We experience “Beautiful Springs,” “Hot Summers” that reach in the 100’s, “Awesome Falls” and “Mild Winters,” A couple months in North Florida we pull out the sweaters and jackets to stay warm when temperatures dive into a few days of freezing temperatures.
Now my two daughters live in South Florida where rarely is a heater turned on in the winter months. On the other hand, You wouldn’t want to live without a heater in Jacksonville.
God brings different seasons to all of our lives. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.”
Let me ask you, “Are you just “Surviving or Thriving” in the tough seasons of your life? It’s a choice! You can either see the good in this season or you can complain about your pain. You can either smile and keep your joy or you can whine and belly ache through your difficulty. You can either have a clouded gloomy perspective or you can allow God to clear up the lens of your outlook to see the good, the gold, and even the glory of God.
I don’t know anybody that says, I just love my pain in life. “NO”, none of us do, but we can say, “God sees something good coming out of this setback in my life.” God not only sees the setback but has a “Comeback in mind for me.”
What if Joseph had become bitter in his pain? What if he had planned a day of revenge for his brothers who sold him for 20 pieces of silver, equal to 200.00 today? What if he had planned a day to get back at a lying woman who lied about his relationship with her?
“NO”, Joseph chose to “TRUST” in his God and knew that God had a plan that was bigger than the difficult painful season of his life. In the end, God came through with His plan and called Joseph to be the Prime minister of Egypt who would save thousands in a famine.
Friend, regardless of the pain in your health, your marriage, your job, your dream, your money, the struggle with your kids. In this season, Look for “the good,” “the gold” of God trying your faith, and God getting “the glory” at the end of your painful season.
Seasons don’t last forever, HOLD ON, God will prove Himself Faithful, because that’s just who He is. God will never fail to show Himself Strong in the End for you if you will believe, “Better is the end than the beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Eccl 7:8 Don't just survive in your difficult season but decide to THRIVE through it.
