A Time for Everything
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
During the best of times and in the darkness of trials, there is a season for all things. In my young adult years, my friends and I use to discuss the seasons of life based on age. When we finished with this list there was much laughter because we were well aware that our seasons would vary because life is not this clear-cut or simple.
0 – 4 infancy and formative years
4 – 5 pre-school
6 – 11 elementary student
11 – 12 pre-teen
13 -19 full fledged teenager
18 – 22 college student
21 legal age (adulthood)
22 – 30 young adult trying to find oneself
30 – 39 career and family oriented
40 – 49 settled adult
50 – 59 adult who doesn’t care about what others may think of you
60 – 69 retiring adult
70 – 79 traveling adult
80+ adult who has earned the right to be uncensored
As I sit in my office, I think about this list and wonder which season applies to me. I am counting down the days that I have left in my current job position. I am not departing with sadness but with much joy and anticipation as I start another season of life. Outside my window I see the movement of the trees which means there is a breeze in the midst of the sunshine and warm weather. A few cars are passing, and it seems that the pedestrians on the sidewalk are in no particular hurry. For some reason everything seems greener than usual today. I would hate to think that it’s always been this green, and I have been too busy to take notice. In reflecting over the past two years, I think that I have come full circle. I truly believe that the Lord has been speaking to me and teaching me as I went along. The lessons about myself and others have been great, and it is these lessons that have been revealing and strengthening in my life.
When I came into this position, I was happy to be closer to home. There is a world of difference between 11 minutes and 45 minutes, and 11 miles versus 40 miles! Coming into my job, I believed that I was a fit at the time of being hired. I say all of this to bring up the point that there are seasons in our lives, and we have to recognize when it is time to move on because the season has ended. Thus, I am on the countdown to my ending season. I would like to share with you some of the things that I have learned (some I already knew, but needed the reminder):
1. God has a plan and a purpose for me.
2. Oftentimes, being still and listening (to colleagues, but most of all to GOD) is the best solution to handling problems.
3. In dealing with difficult personalities, the need for love and understanding crumbles the walls of unpleasantness.
4. It is imperative that colleagues see Christ in you. The response that you get is quite different.
5. Some jobs are the crucible of a lifetime.
6. Your faith will be tested, and you are allowed to see how strong that faith is.
7. Difficult situations give you a reality check of how blessed you are.
8. The people, relationships, and situations that caused your heart to break in the past have not been meaningless; they have prepared
you to be a comforter to someone else.
9. That same heartache has allowed you to recognize forgiveness, healing, and wholeness again.
10. Always recognize the naysayers who put up obstacles in hopes of causing you to fail.
11. Pray for those who mean to do you the most harm.
12. Evaluate whether you are fulfilling your purpose and following the plan that God has for you.
13. Check on your “joy” meter
14. Spend time in prayer over yourself, colleagues, the workplace, and the outside influences.
15. Be aware that God speaks, and know when He is speaking to you.
16. Always be prepared to end a season and begin another.
17. Be prepared to accept a new assignment.
18. Take God with you in whatever the endeavor may be.
In my reflection of this season, I am reminded of a brother from church who made different statements to me on several occasions:
“Sister, the Lord wants me to tell you to hold on because He has not forgotten you.”
“Sister, be careful what you wish for.”
“Sister, God has a plan for you. You will not be where you are for long.”
“Sister you will teach again, but you will be teaching the word to an audience that you least expect.”
Now isn’t it interesting how the Lord brings certain people into your life and uses them as a tool to get a message to you? I will say that as this journey ends, my next season starts in the area of teaching. The excitement and anticipation has brought unspeakable joy that pulses through the core of my being. Can you tell that I am excited about my next journey? My next season allows me to do what I love and have been called to do in order to impact people. In my own way, teaching becomes my ministry where I hope that others can see Christ in me and seek to see Him within themselves.
In closing my current season, I reflect on the way that I got here, what my assignment was, and the look of the finished product. The assignment was to bring stability and appreciation to an environment that had the ability to become toxic. Included in the assignment was to love, encourage, counsel, and remind people that the Almighty God who is with them through the summer days and is also with them through the storms of life. My season ends with many memories, no regrets, and a hope that this job position becomes a new season for someone else.
Copyright ©️ 2020 by CrayDawg, Inc.
Coffee Reflections 