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Seasons by Ronda

We are officially in the season of spring and most of us can agree that it has sprung. The evidence is the multi-layered covering of pollen on just about everything outside. When we observe nature, it is easy to see that our God has purpose for change, transition and transformation. Each and every year the changes in season are indicative of the cycle of life of all living things. There are seasons of birth, seasons of growth, seasons of transition and also seasons of death. In the natural spring, summer, fall and winter…or winter, spring, summer, fall are signs of death, life, growth and harvest.

 

During the past few weeks I have witnessed and participated in many seasons of life. Each happening or event was particular in its gift and anointing. As I experienced these seasons, it became evident and imperative that I recognize and acknowledge the gift of each season. Life is full of seasons. Seasons begin, continue and end. There is a season happening right now and everyone is in one both naturally and spiritually. The real truth is in discovering the gift and anointing that season is intended to impart.

 

SPRING=BIRTH. I witnessed the season of spring with my daughter attending her prom. It is a birth because it is like the blooming of a beautiful spring flower. My daughter is very timid and has a very meek spirit. I would not have expected her to attend prom let alone have someone ask and she accept (without asking me first I might add). I was excited about her willingness to open up to a new experience that was beyond her comfort zone. She is very timid in social situations and a prom, in my opinion, is like a baptism by fire! I knew from the things she shared that she now felt comfortable enough to open up and step out into new social territory. After all the preparations were made and the day had arrived, I was able to experience such a precious blooming that I was awestruck at the hand of Lord in the life of my sweet spirited daughter. She has entered a new season of her life and I knew that day that God had planned it especially for her.

 

SUMMER=GROWTH. I witnessed the season of summer with my sister at her college graduation. My sister is a nurse who returned to school after many years to earn a degree in nursing. She is in a season of growth. I have been a witness to the ups and downs of her journey; even sometimes privileged to offer encouragement and support.   I was blessed because I watched her discover that she really is an “honor” student. A geek is what she would say; just like her sister! She made a committed decision to not only finish but to finish well! HONORS. She has an excellent spirit! I was able to watch her discover new areas of giftedness; gifts that she never knew she had. We gathered to celebrate the professional woman she has become. I witnessed a precious gift indeed…another season…a new anointing.

 

 

FALL=TRANSFORMATION/HARVEST. I am a witness personally to this season. I believe I am in a season of transformation and change. Autumn is my favorite season because of the colors. I love earth tone colors. It is my favorite season for household décor too. I embellish the harvest theme all through the house. As I write…I still have a harvest tablecloth on my kitchen table because of the colors! In fall/autumn the leaves are changing and preparing for a falling away of everything they have known. I can relate to this process. When Father wants to bring us into another harvest I do believe there will be a season of change. There will be a season of falling away of what is familiar. A new harvest will require you to make room for it. The old patterns and processes have to go. A falling away. A new set of patterns and habits have to be put into place to receive this new harvest. It is difficult to understand how the Father does this. I believe He uses our experiences. Hopefully, we are connected enough to discern the work of His Spirit in the circumstances in our life. This helps us endure the difficulty of the process. It isn’t all-pleasant; a lot of it is difficult. The changes of the leaves are beautiful but the ultimate result is a falling away and a death. Yet the season itself is also a harvest. Think about the squirrels gathering up the nuts for the upcoming winter. Fall is transformation and change but also harvest and gathering. So as I go through this process of change, I don’t always understand the falling way of the familiar. However, I am confident there is a spiritual preparation, a gathering also at work. There is a gift that I am receiving. There is an anointing being purified. This spiritual preparation will ensure that I can receive and maintain my next harvest…so I willingly surrender MY leaves must change and fall.

 

WINTER=DEATH. This week (May 11-16) I had to go visit my oldest aunt in hospice. Soon she will be in glory. Now, she is only a few steps away from finishing her race here on earth. So many of the family are returning home to say goodbye and I went to see her so I could do the same. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see her in the hospital. I remember seeing my grandmother the night before she passed and it was difficult. I decided it was important for me to go. I know my aunt. If she could say so…she would want to see me. I surprised myself. I am definitely a crier…but I did not cry right away. More than anything I wanted to be there in the spirit…in the moment…seeking His Presence. There were a few of us gathered together in her room. We all talked about different ways my aunt had touched us…encouraged us…loved us. I felt peace and I was thankful. I read a Psalm that the Holy Spirit put on my heart that morning – Psalm 84. It speaks of the pilgrimage to Zion. We are all on a journey and we will visit seasons in our lives. Our seasons are seasons of different sorts but each season is seen and known by Father God. In every season an important lesson to learn is that God is omniscient. He is Jehovah Shamah. He is Present. I knew that as I looked at my Auntie. Even when we can’t comprehend His purpose, He is present. I read Psalm 123 as well. Since I don’t fully know what this part of the journey looks like…I really can’t imagine… I wanted to remind my Auntie that the LORD is HER SHEPHERD even in the deepest valley. I wanted to put His Word in the room. She is never alone. I knew that because of the peace that I felt. All of us there together, remembering her and being grateful for her love and compassion. We prayed. We prayed for one another. I witnessed another season that day. My Aunt has had many difficult seasons in her life. Her battle with cancer is among them. However, this season is one of complete healing…not sickness…a dying to everything in this earth and awaking to joy unspeakable and full of glory. A passing…. to life. (My Aunt passed on to life on Saturday May 16, after I had already written this).

 

Every season of our life is known of God. Even when we suffer difficult or adverse consequences, I know that He is not alarmed. Father has His book. He knows our current page, the paragraph, the sentence, the phrase, the word…the pause and the period. He knew us before time existed. HE determined our appointed times. He is Sovereign. He alone is God and BESIDE HIM there is NO other. He sees us. He knows us. He LOVES us. In every season He is there. He will always manifest Himself whenever we seek him even in the darkest of seasons. He will let us know that we are known. He has seen our unformed substance. How Great is Our God!

 

 

“Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”

Psalm 139:16

 

“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation “

Acts 17: 26

Me, Really

This post is not from the usual contributors, and is not our “usual” posting.  (our next regular post will be around Feb. 14).  What is written below was written by a young woman I have known for many years–since she was a teenager, and I post this with her permission. I have known of her struggles these past few years, and have seen her “lose it all”.  She has found an inner strength she never knew she had, and has risen above challenges she never thought she would face.  When I read this, I was so touched not only by her honesty and courage, but by the message she is speaking.  Please read this, and especially share with young girls and women who are struggling with finding who they are. There is no reason that anyone should ever think they need to be someone else–we are beautifully and wonderfully made!  As always, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading our blog, and welcome your comments.  __Peggy

The below is written by Lori Burton.  It is raw, and it is real:

 

Keeping it Real… Honest and sincere from my heart…(this is super long, so read it or don’t read it… Choice is yours)…

Recently someone told a friend of mine (with all sincerity) that they miss the “Old Lori”. This is not the first time someone has said this about me. Well I’m coming clean about something I have carried with me for most of my adult life…

Somewhere along my journey I began to believe that if I was true to myself, and showed people who I really am, they wouldn’t like me. The root of this may have come from being relentlessly teased in middle school and other “normal” things that happened in life, but effected this sensitive soul deeply.

As I grew older, it became my worst fear. The dialogue that subtly but continually replayed in my head over and over was, “if they knew the real me, they wouldn’t like me.”

This caused me to often hold back or even hide my true thoughts, feelings, desires, beliefs, and even the fullness of my personality and who I am. I acted differently, I dressed differently, I sang differently, and strived to be who I thought others wanted me to be.

And guess what? It worked!
People liked me, people were pleased with me, I was told I was the best one of the triplets, I was complimented, flattered, and lifted up. I felt great…. At first!

Afraid of losing this, I worked harder at it. I did things that I thought others wanted me to do. I did things that I thought I was “supposed to do”. I ran myself ragged trying to be all things to all people until somewhere along the line, I lost who I really was. I gave my power away to other people because I wanted to be loved and accepted so badly. (This was not other people’s fault, this was my mistake. I own it!)

On the outside things seemed great, but inside I was miserable, and the facade I had built was starting to crumble.

Before long I had a complete mental and emotional breakdown that would forever change my life. Completely broken, I spent a season of self isolation from most of the people in my life. I stopped doing everything I was doing to try win people’s love and affirmation. I stopped singing, I stopped working, I stopped going out socially, etc.

My days were spent in a hellish cycle of deep depression and horrible panic attacks. All the balls that I was juggling to make myself feel needed and loved came crashing down around me, and I saw that without me doing all those things that made me feel like somebody, life went on without me just fine. Other people filled in the gaps I left, I was no longer being complimented, flattered, lifted up, and I felt like I didn’t exist.

At the same time I learned that my family (parents and siblings) loved me no matter what, and they stuck by me and were there for me at my worst. They never gave up on me, and trust me. I put them through hell.

After starting to see a very good Christian Psychologist, I began to realize that my worth was not based on how good I was or what others thought of me, but rather who I am in Christ because of what HE did FOR me!

Gradually I began to see truth after truth, and started the long process of healing.

As I’ve been healing, I have one desire in my heart… To live for Jesus by being the person He created me to be. It’s not about me being liked, lifted up or flattered. It’s about God using me, as the person he created me to be to touch the lost, hurting, and broken, but most if all, to touch HIS heart with all of mine.

On this new journey, God has kindly helped me to discover the real me. Although I don’t sing in public yet, I have begun to find my unique vocal style, along with my unique desire to express myself through clothes I wear, jewelry I make, and even the way I do my hair.

I no longer try to get people to like me by pretending I’m someone I’m not. I’m no longer stuck in bondage of all the “supposed to’s” in life. I am becoming freer every day.

Some people will like the authentic me and some won’t. I’m okay with that now.

As for the people that miss the “old me”, you probably saw only touches of my authentic self, so you never got to know who I really am. That was my mistake, and I’m sorry.

Truth is, I’ve learned valuable lessons through the mistakes I have made, and I am so grateful that the truth of JESUS AND his word sets me free.

This is me being me, and I am perfectly comfortable in my own skin. Thank you to all my friends and family who have walked this journey with me. God has used you more than you know. I love you all!

Remember by Peggy

“When I was your age, I had to walk in three feet of snow, barefoot, to school every morning after feeding the goats and herding the cattle,…” yadda, yadda, yadda. Ok. So that’s an exaggeration, but who doesn’t cringe when the old folks try to tell them how tough they had it and all of that stuff.

Whenever I would hear people go on about how hard they had it, I would think to myself: “geez, why would you even want to remember that?!?” I have always liked remembering the happy things in life, and just not lingering on the tough stuff. Like Christmas. Christmas makes me happy, and so do my many memories of Christmas while growing up.

My parents never had a lot of money, but we didn’t know it. I don’t think anyone I grew up with were ever really conscious of the financial situations in our households. Stuff like that was never talked about in front of the kids. We had all of our needs met, and that was all we needed to know. We were kept innocent of life’s up and downs as much as possible.

But, come Christmas, we thought we were millionaires! Santa came and left his whole sled of toys at our house, it seemed! I can still remember the year my sisters and I got the kitchen set. It was all metal, four pieces, “life” sized, and pink! It was the greatest thing, and my parents set it up in our basement with a table and chairs, and it seemed like we had our own little house down there! Hours of fun.

Then there was the year I got a typewriter. How I loved that thing! It was a kid’s manual typewriter, and I practically had to put all of my weight on the keys to make it type, but, again, hours and hours of fun! Now, there’s some great memories! Happy things that make me smile.

Now that I have become one of the elderlies, I find that I still wish to remember the nice things and great times. I tried to make Christmas a great time for my kids, and I look back with fondness of big holiday dinners with the extended families as well.

When I remember my childhood and teen-aged friends, and realize we are still friends today, I am awestruck at the strength of the ties that bind us together in life, and how very blessed we are to still care about each other. Our parents instilled in all of us the value of relationships.

But I also, in my later years, have come to appreciate the hardships that so many have gone through in their lives that have helped to mold mine.

When I look at my beautiful, intelligent daughters and granddaughters, I think about how, when my own mother was born, women still did not even have the right to vote in this country. I am humbled by the struggles of those who took up the cause to change the tide of history, recognizing women as humans who had a valuable voice to add to the process of making and sustaining this nation.

When I see a soldier in uniform at the airport, I remember how my father fought in WWll, and how many have sacrificed before him and after him, even to this day, to rid the world of tyranny that I can’t even imagine, in order to keep our nation free. I remember, and I am grateful beyond measure.

I don’t take lightly the sacrifices that people have made in their lives. In fact, the older I get, the more meaningful those sacrifices become to me. I realize that, in this world of social media in which we live, everything that happens to anyone in their lives is newsworthy. But is anyone ever looking at the deeper implication of some things? We see all kinds of stuff about everything from the antics of puppies and kittens to the horrors of human trafficking, but what does it all mean to us? When we read a story of someone else’s struggle, do we just shake our heads with a “tsk, tsk” and scroll to the puppies and kittens, or do we stop and pause to say a prayer for them, or see if there is a way to get involved? Are we rolling our eyes at the atrocities that some face, like we do when we hear an elderly begin a sentence with “when I was your age”…

I find that many times, I am guilty of the scroll. I choose not to take on the plight of others, and I am looking for the puppies. And I am ashamed of myself. So I fight it, and try to remember something my mother said to me many years ago: “everybody has a backstory”. In other words, don’t ignore the plight of others because you may not know what got them there. Instead, if you can, try to do something to make a difference. Remember what sacrifice someone might have made that helped form you. Think of a way you can be a better person.

That is what my blog is about this month. I challenge the readers to remember the good stuff, and pass those stories on to your children and grandchildren. Don’t let the traditions and memories die because it may not be easy to keep up with them.

I challenge you to remember the challenges some have faced in your family history. Then pass on those stories, for they have helped to make you who you are today.

And I challenge you, this Christmas season, to look at others, and see what you can do to make a difference in their lives. Remember it, and pass it on.

Tell them all, the stories of good, bad, hard and help. These, my friends, are the story of you. Pass it on, someone’s life will be made richer.

And may we always remember the reason we celebrate this season:

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.

Remember, and pass it on. May you all be richly blessed this season with the peace of God, may His grace be yours, may you be blessed in your comings and goings, and may you have a healthy and happy New Year!