Seasons of Life

Last night I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine about our womens Bible Study. We talked about how there are five married girls, one engaged, and three single girls. A majority of the girls are married, so a majority of our conversations lead back to their marriages. Does this bother me? No way! I love each one of them and I honestly enjoy hearing about their marriages. It makes me wonder as to what life will be like with my future husband and wonder when I will meet him and so on. I also always learn a lot from each girl in my group, and they are my closest, best friends. It is a HUGE blessing that I've been able to be in such a close knit group of women over the past couple of years. Each woman has something unique to bring and offer to our Bible Study and that's what makes it so wonderful. :) We are each in a different season of life (some newleywed, some married a few years, one pregnant, some single, some married longer) and may not be able to relate exactly to one another in that way all the time, but we do have biblical relationships and sharpen one another spiritually. I am so grateful for each one of them!

One thing that I realized in conversating about this was how sometimes it is difficult to be in this Bible Study group as the minority (single). I was thinking about why I sometimes feel that way, and it led me to realize that the answer is simply this: I am not content in the Lord and where He has me right then. In these times, I being to think When will I ever meet my husband? Why hasn't it happened yet? Why am I single? I miss being in a relationship. I wish I had someone to talk about. During those times, I feel as though the conversations are more centered on marriage and feel as though I cannot relate at all. It discourages me....BUT the truth of it is-the group is always the same, and marriage is always talked about...it only bothers me when I am not content in the Lord! When I'm content in the Lord I have thoughts such as I cannot wait to meet my husband. He's going to be so great. What a blessing it is to be in this group so I can learn so much about being married before I get married. Last night, I was content in the Lord. I'm so excited that my friend brought this up to me because it was a great reminder to me that if those times come where I feel discouraged about our group, I know what to do. I need to pursue Him more, seeking and receiving contentment from the Lord.

Recently I learned there is a scripture about different seasons of life.

"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. " Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

The study notes from my Bible say: "Timing is important. The secret to peace with God is to discover, accept, and appreciate God's perfect timing. The danger is to doubt or resent God's timing. This can lead to despair, rebellion, or moving ahead without his advice." My notes from a devotional say: "We all go through dry seasons, when we don't see anything happening; Praying and prayers aren't answered; giving and not getting in return; Going the extra mile to help others and nobody is helping you. Proving grounds- God wants to see how you are going to respond. What kind of attitude will you have whne you keep doing the right thing but the wrong thing keeps happening to you?"

What season of life are you in right now? Single? Married? With children? In a new career? Waiting on the Lord for guidance? Feeling lost? Student? Feel like you're going through the motions? Whatever it be, I encourage you to Pursue Him in the season that you are in. God has you right where He wants you to be. Anytime you feel discouraged about your season of life, that is a clear indication that you need to pursue Him more. (I'm saying this based on experience) Pursuing  Him resolves any discontentment in your life and brings you the joy and happiness He wants you to experience when walking with Him.