A New Season Is Here!
Fall is right around the corner. You can feel it in the air; you can smell it in the wind. The boots in the bottom of my closet and the folded sweaters are crying to make an appearance in my wardrobe. Pumpkin spice and everything nice are coming at us from every angle. Most of us are chomping at the bits for cooler weather to settle in.
As humans, we are always looking for what is ahead. We just can’t help it. We are hard on ourselves when we are struggling through a season, and we are hard on others as well. It is easy to pass judgement on someone who seems to be in a phase in their lives that may seem unfavorable. In Ecclesiastes 3:1, it says “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Every season has a purpose. Every event in our lives has a purpose.
In past articles, I have spoken on enjoying whatever season you find yourself in; I have encouraged you to enjoy the wallpaper in the hallways while you wait. I also encourage you to sit with others when they are waiting in the hallway. Everyone’s wallpaper looks a little bit different and should be enjoyed and appreciated.
David was a man after God’s own heart. He was one of the greatest kings of Israel, but David was not always walking the halls of a royal palace. David began his life as a humble shepherd. He watched over sheep in the field for his father. When Samuel came to anoint a new king for Israel, he just looked at David and dismissed him. David was in a season where he was serving as a shepherd. He didn’t look the part of a king, but God had different plans. God took a simple shepherd and made him the most powerful person in Israel.
Ruth had left her family to marry. She moved with her husband’s family to a different land, and then her husband died. She was left with her mother-in-law and that was it. They were forced to go back to her mother-in-law’s homeland where Ruth knew no one. Ruth begged for food and was allowed to pick up the scraps left in the wheat field just to have enough to make bread. Ruth was a diligent servant. She never complained and continued to be faithful to her mother-in-law, her only family left. The hard work of Ruth did not go unnoticed. Boaz, the owner of the field where Ruth was harvesting wheat, noticed her and invited her to eat with him and his workers. Boaz and Ruth married and are listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Ruth’s season of trial was just before her season of greatness.
Saul truly believed that he was in the right when he was on a mission to rid the world of Christians. He set out for Damascus to help bring more Christians to prison when he was confronted by Jesus in a vision. Jesus knew that he would be one of the most important people in the spreading of the Gospel throughout the world. Saul was in a season of persecution before his season of salvation when he became Paul. If you look up the meaning of the name Paul, it is humble. Saul became Paul, God’s humble servant.
The Bible is filled with countless examples of people who are in different seasons of their lives. Never judge someone from the season they find themselves in. It could be right before greatness. God can use everyone, no matter their current circumstance. We truly serve the God of great comebacks!
This week’s recipe is another football party favorite — nachos! Now these nachos use cauliflower for their base instead of fried tortillas. I know, I know, everyone is putting cauliflower in everything these days, but trust me, these are great! The humble cauliflower is the perfect base for nachos. My recipe includes our favorite nacho toppings, but please feel free to top them with your family’s favorites.
“For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries; wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:3