Ecclesiastes 3:1 – For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. (NLT)

Another season was upon us.

Moving. The word sends prickly shivers up my spine. I've done it so often. Either Dad was moving our family when I was young, or I was moving myself as I followed in his footsteps as a minister. Some moves, I chose to make; most, I didn't. I always hoped that by mid-life or a little later, I'd be settled where I would stay until I made that final move. That didn't happen either.

But since my wife and I always lived in a church-provided home or a rental home, we had no place to call our own. Either we, the church, or the landlord determined our move.

As I got older, the moves became more challenging physically. After our last move, I told my wife, "If we ever have to do this again, we'll have to hire a moving company."

So, when this moving opportunity presented itself, I reminded her of what I had said.

It seems that the house beside my mom and stepdad had come available for rent. My wife talked to the owners, who were moving because they were building a home in the country. They wanted the amount of their current mortgage, which we understood but could not afford — three hundred dollars too much and equally that much more than we currently paid.

We passed the situation off as not God's will, until a text came two months later from the wife of the family. They would take what we said that we could pay — no doubt a God-thing, since this would put us beside the aging parents we had to care for, give us more room, and provide us with a backyard that the grandkids could play in.

Although not excited about moving again, we eagerly accepted the offer. We knew that this would probably not be our final move — my mom and stepdad's house might be that — but for the season, we'd move … again.

As I shared with my wife how much I detested moving, she reminded me to enjoy the journey. I suppose that King Solomon felt the same, since he said that a season existed for everything. This was our season to change locations, which would make our lives easier in many ways.

One soap opera called this the "Days of Our Lives", but "seasons" will do. As the seasons of the year come and go, so do the various elements of life. Some we enjoy more than others — and some we put ourselves into through poor decisions or unhealthy relationships — but come and go, they will.

I've tried to take my wife's advice and enjoy the journey. Whatever season I'm in will not last forever. This one won't either. Our parents will die eventually, and we'll enter another season. My wife and I will retire and enjoy yet another season. None of us knows what's ahead.

One thing we can know, however, is that God walks with us through every season. I stopped wondering long ago whether He sends or allows the season. I merely trust Him through it, believing that He will teach me valuable lessons. We'll be better — mentally, emotionally, and physically — when we enjoy the journey … the season … and listen to God's Spirit as we pass through.

What are you learning in your life season?

Prayer: Father, give us the faith to trust You through every season of life. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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