If you are anything like me, and if you are a red-blooded American woman we have more in common than most of us would care to admit, you love places like the Christmas Tree Shops. We flock to sales and places where we can get a “deal.” It’s especially exciting when we see signs like the title of this piece, “Seasonal Items 50% Off”, because who doesn’t need an Autumn wreath covered in silk leaves and finished off with a smiling scarecrow saying something like “Happy Fall.” Who doesn’t need Christmas stocking candle holders and egg shaped bowls for Easter dinner? The truth is we don’t NEED any of it. But we sure do LIKE it! Why are we drawn to these things? We buy them and we hang them in our houses, or on our houses, to identify the season. It shows we are “with the program”, we “have the spirit.” They smack of celebration and joy.
Well, in my house the calendar says it is July 20th. The most recent holiday was the 4th of July I think. What’s hanging on my door? A shamrock banner. That just screams 4th of July, doesn’t it? I am definitely “with the program” with that one, huh? Go ahead, laugh. But before you do, take one last look around your house just to make sure you have put away all of your Santa figurines, or your Spring bunnies. Judge not lest ye be judged! In all seriousness, though, it got me thinking about seasons and priorities. What happened in my life this year during March that was significant enough to keep me effectively “stuck” there until July? I gave birth to a new baby son. See, it wasn’t that important to change the banner because I was focused on more important things. I started a new season of my life in March—the season where I became the mom of two boys instead of one. The banner is just an outward expression of an inward state of being.
So I wanted to send this out to all of you to get you thinking about what season you are in and why? What banners are hanging on the door of your heart shouting to the world about what season you are in? Some of you may even have things around your house, like I did, that will be a visual representation of where you are, while others will find it is an inward state of mind that indicates your season. Are you stuck in the past because of something hurtful or painful that happened? Many people find themselves buried under years of clutter when a loved one dies and they don’t know what to do with all of their “stuff” and they just can’t get rid of it because of sentimental reasons. Are you stuck, like me, because something wonderful has come into your life and has taken up so much of your time that nothing else seems to matter too much? Some seasons, like mine, will outlive the calendar. I will always be the mom of two boys now that this season has come. But we all need to be aware of what is happening in our lives and in our hearts and whether or not we are listening to God for direction. Is God wanting us to change seasons, turn the page on our spiritual calendars, but we haven’t “gotten with the program”? Is it time to change jobs, change cars, change our attitudes, change direction? It is so important to seek God’s timing for your lives. It is always perfect. Even if it means you look silly to the world. Nobody in my neighborhood may know why I have a shamrock banner on my door right now, but I do.
Daniel 2:21
21 He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning
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