This winter season has been unusual to say the least. I have heard stories of flowers blooming this month because of the much warmer temperatures that are not expected in a cold January. It’s supposed to be snowing, frigid cold, and signs of plant life are supposed to be anything but blooming. Expectations for winter seasons are already set for us. When things happen out of season, we tend to get confused, scratch our head, and ask, “why?” We often get stuck on thinking it’s not supposed to be this way.
Perhaps there is a lesson we can learn from the blooming flower in the off season. Naturally, we think the flowers are confused because this is happening against the season. The flowers did not question the season they were in, but they bloomed as they were created to. They know the conditions needed to produce blooms and they spring forth into action.
Like the flower blooming in the off season, we may find ourselves in seasons we do not understand but we must find a way to spring forth into action.
The Word of Truth is needed in a believer’s life to produce fruitfulness, steadfastness, and new life. When we are in relationship with God by engaging in His word, prayer, fasting, and worship we are then in right balance with the creator. When the word is implanted in us, it is deeply woven in every part of us. We won’t be able to stop the growth and we will want to live a life pure and undefiled. This kind of life leads us to be doers and hearers of The Word as James instructs Christians to be.
James teaches us that every believer will experience trials in life, but trials are a blessing. They are opportunities for growth and to see the Father of Lights who created the light that rule the days and seasons. His nature is unchanging, and His promises are secure. Through creation, we can see exactly how faithful and unchanging God is. Therefore, it is so important as believers to be deeply rooted in Christ so that when these off seasons do come, we will not be swayed but we will spring into action as we were created to. Off seasons are opportunities to truly learn where our faith stands when resources have dried up, time is against us, and there isn’t any light at the end of the tunnel. These seasons are where we meet opposition, lack, frustration, and maybe even wonder if we had faith at all?
But we were created for this.
It’s the place where we find out who we truly are, what our character is made of, and the condition of our heart. In this place, we see God, place our trust in Him, and surrender.
We must find a way to stay focused on God and our relationship with Him in every season of our journey so that when these off seasons do come, we will not find ourselves stuck or wavering.
God is at work in all of our seasons, spiritual growth is a process and growth happens most in the seasons that seem out of balance.
He is there and we can trust that He has a great purpose.
Qualities Needed In Off Seasons
Be swift to hear
Slow to speak
Slow to wrath
Be a doer of The Word
Read James 1 here:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1&version=NIV
With all of my love and encouragement,
Hannah B.
Collective Circle Gathering 