New Season / New Life

“Summer is finally here!!” was the cry of many people this past weekend. Whether you celebrated Canada Day or Independence Day, we have entered a new season. The school year is finished – graduations are complete. Many are in transition this summer before new educational adventures in September. Enjoy the break as you celebrate your accomplishments.

In the past 6 months, many in our family entered new seasons. We have mourned losses of family members and they will be greatly missed. On June 28, we had reason to celebrate LIFE again.

Timothée made his grand entrance – forever changing our family. My niece and her husband are brand new parents. My sister and brother-in-law are Grandpapa and Nana for the first time. Three nephews are now uncles. Grandparents are now great-grandparents with various new names. One event has changed family ties and positions. It will never be the same. In a few short weeks, we will not be able to imagine him not being part of our family. The next generation has arrived.

We knew he was coming. He was announced at Christmas while we celebrated another life-changing birth. The signs of his coming became clearer and clearer as each month and then week passed. Anticipation and excitement grew – would it be a boy or a girl? Who would guess the date? We prayed for a safe delivery and then rejoiced as the first photos were posted. We shared the “good news” with family and friends, and anyone who would listen.

A new season was launched by the arrival of a new life. What has God been wanting to “birth” in your life? What season is opening? Or is it a transition time between seasons? Just as with our four seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter, there are some things we KNOW are coming. They are expected and we can read the signs of their coming. However, some things can catch us unprepared.

We don’t have to enter the seasons blindly. In the natural, we know what to expect – snow in winter, falling leaves in autumn, hot summer days, new growth in the spring – seasons when we sow and seasons when we reap. Sunrise and sunset are calculated and accurate, but there are also unpredictable factors. The weather is one of those variables. The weather man can narrow down temperature and conditions in daily forecasts, but long range forecasts are more vague and change constantly. Storms can and do arise quickly and are usually not in our plans, but they are part of the seasons.

There is One who knows everything this season of your life will bring. You don’t have to enter it unaware.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – A Time for Everything

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.

We cannot always easily read the signs. Even when we see the signs of changes, we don’t always know the interpretation of them on a deeper level. God does. Ask HIM and follow His direction. In many transitions, it is often NOT “vacation time” as we think. It may well be a time of rest, but usually only in order to prepare for our next assignment.

We moved several times while in the military. Once the posting notice arrived and was confirmed, there were LOTS of things to do, even before the actual day of the move. Then we traveled to the new base and set up for a new season of our life. It was not without preparation, not without support, not without purpose, and not without effects.

Everything changed. The last season was sealed and quickly passed into memories – you can’t keep living there. The new season was ripe with possibilities and promises as a fresh chapter opened with blank pages ready to be written on. The choice was ours.

As this new season unfolds, what will you write on its pages? Who will make the journey with you? What will be your focus? So many questions and only One who truly knows the answers. We LOVE to celebrate the birth of a new baby – and we should!! But it doesn’t stop there. There is sooo much more ahead.

God bless you as you walk through this season of your life. Listen closely for God’s voice and enjoy the journey.

Selah Y