I think it is important to examine where you are. To consider where you’ve come from and celebrate the progress, and then also to ponder what is ahead.
Life is an ongoing journey, with ups and downs, rhythms and unexpected surprises. Personally, I don’t want to look back with regrets or gloom, but rather embrace the adventure God has placed me in! But this is a decision I made years ago and continue to make. It doesn’t mean that all my hopes and dreams have come true, but rather I continually try to make the most of where God has me.
Perspective is an incredible thing. It helps you decide how you will look at things and think about them … or even accept them and file them away and let go of. We all have struggles and hard things in life, but it is how we let those shape us that counts, not what we’ve been through. If we will truly surrender our life and our hopes and dreams to God, then we can rest easy knowing that if we give Him our absolute best, He will steer us where He needs us. We need to continually let go of the past and press on to run our race well for Him!
Remain Faithful in this Season
When you examine where you are, do you find you are living your dreams? Let’s back up a little further and consider what your dreams might be.
I believe that God uses our hopes and dreams to steer us. On the other hand, I also feel He has a sense of humor and uses our “I would never ___” to steer us too. Some days I laugh finding myself doing what I never had any intention of doing.
But here’s the thing: when we sincerely, completely surrender our life to God, we can trust Him to lead us to where He needs us. We must be in tune with His Word and His Laws so that we can recognize what is His direction and what is not.
And then – and this might be the most important part – we must remain faithful where He has us. This is vital! What good is it to seek Him, surrender, and step in to where He wants us if we are going to get worn out and give up two minutes in? No, just as we seek Him and ask Him where He needs us, we need to have the stick-to-it-ive-ness to be in it for the long haul. Commitment, faithfulness, determination to shine in the season He has us in.
And here’s the good news: no season lasts forever!
Each Season Leads to the Next
Each season leads to the next! Isn’t that so encouraging? Nothing lasts forever.
I mean think about it – back when we were in grade school, twelve years of schooling seemed like forever, didn’t it? In much the same way, some of life’s seasons can feel looooooong. But there is a flipside to this too – nothing lasts forever. So be sure to cherish this season while you have it.
Gratitude is a powerful way to reset your perspective. Instead of feeling worn out where you are, begin to consider all that you have. Be sure to consider the perks that are unique to this season. As you examine where you are, change the dialogue. Instead of labeling yourself stuck somewhere, maybe you want to appreciate the kind people it has brought into your life. Long hours at work could be appreciated as employment in an uncertain economy.
Seriously, each season leads to the next and the last thing I want to do in my next season is kick myself for not better appreciating what I had in my previous season. A new season is coming, let’s encourage one another to wholeheartedly appreciate where we are so that we can better anticipate where we are heading!
Anticipate What’s Ahead
I love to anticipate what’s ahead! Sometimes I will sit and try to think of exciting possibilities and imagine them just to feel the internal thrill inside! I love the feeling of being excited and sometimes I get so in my routine that days fly by and I don’t pause like I should to appreciate all that’s around me.
I think it is important to anticipate what’s ahead. To a certain extent you can’t choose a lot in life, but on the flipside, there are certain things you can choose. Take time to pause and consider what you can choose – your attitude, your perspective, what you pursue, hobbies that interest you, etc.
As you examine where you are, really ponder what God has in store for you. I believe that He gives us little hints of it through our hopes and dreams and through people who randomly encourage us.
Anticipating what’s ahead doesn’t mean that you set your heart on one thing and then get broken if it doesn’t come to pass, but rather you have a glimpse of what you hope for and you give that hope to God, trusting Him to bring something wonderful!
Finding Peace in the Present
Finding peace in the present is vital to living well and pleasing God. We can’t get so hung up on desiring a new season that we fail to do this season well.
I rather think of this in terms of growing up – I used to anticipate my birthday each and every year. I could barely sleep the night before – I was so excited! And then my birthday would come and go and all that excitement and anticipation was spent. It would take forever (approximately one year, ha!) for my birthday to come again.
And yet, there I was with the result of all my anticipation – my gifts and my cake – I had to realize how to appreciate them thoroughly. If I really thought about it, I could relive some of the excitement of my birthday by pretending my toy was a brand new surprise, over and over again.
Isn’t that how we should thrive in our season? Consider it was once something so anticipated and hoped for and prayed for? It felt like the season prior would never lead into this one but then it finally did?
Let’s cultivate a new appreciation for where we are. Not because we’re stuck here for life, but because this is where God has brought us thus far. This season is for a time and a purpose and we should bloom where He has us! And mind you, if you will just look around, you will realize so many perks and benefits that are unique to the here and now. One day you will miss them, so learn to lean in and appreciate them now!
Until Next Time!
Hope.