Everything Has a Season

Have you ever done something for a long time and then had to face the fact that the season for that activity was coming to an end?

In 1991 I began the homeschool journey with my 3 little boys. Little did I know that God would add 4 more sons, and that He would allow that educational journey to last 26 years. It was hard to face the end of that season. “Homeschooler” had become part of my identity, just like mother, daughter, granddaughter, wife, sister…

When my last son graduated, I had to learn that my identity was not what I do. Some parts of our identity never change. I will always be a mother, even when my children are grown. I will always be a daughter, even when my father is no longer living.

Many roles in our lives come and go. They are seasons that are part of us for a time and then something changes. We change jobs, we change cities, we change ministries. All of those things are temporary. When they have served the purpose that God had in mind, He begins to prompt us to move on to the next season He has for us. And this is where I am right now.

I am at the end of a season that I have seen as fruitful and fulfilling. I have seen this time minister to others and I have learned so much from the Lord as I have traveled this road with Him. I have clear confirmation that it’s time for this season to end.

But, the problem is this. It has become part of my identity and I’ve wrestled with who I am if I step away from this now. It’s just like the lesson I thought I had learned when my boys were done with their schooling. I am at the same place—where I must remember that my identity is not what I do. My true identity is who God says I am—nothing more and nothing less. Perhaps you are there too.

Maybe you have seen the little cartoon of Jesus facing a little girl. She has a small teddy bear in her arms and Jesus is reaching for it. What she doesn’t see it that He has a new, larger teddy bear behind his back.

Now I know that we aren’t supposed to always want something bigger and better from God. It’s not about having MORE. What it is about is being obedient and trusting that the Father knows what’s best.

In March of 2010, I felt the Lord calling me to write a weekly devotion and for the next 11 years, I added a post to this website every Monday morning. Now, I have the clear direction that this season of weekly writing is over. It’s time to move on to what God has next for me. It’s a little scary because I don’t know what is ahead of me, but it’s also exciting because I know God has something good in store. He always does.

This doesn’t mean that you will never hear from me again. It just means that I cannot commit to a weekly post anymore. The website will stay up for now, and all the posts from the past 11 years are all there. Thank you for following along and reading all these years. Thanks for your encouragement through your comments both online and in person. I hope the words the Lord has given me have made a difference.

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” – Psalm 1:3 (ESV)