Appreciate the season

I am not a great one for looking backwards. I have many fond memories which I cherish but there is also the pain and disappointment of past failure and hurt. However I am far more inclined towards Paul’s words:

But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: 13 – 14.

However I have had some conversations recently with long time friends that have reminded us that we have rarely appreciated the times and seasons we were in. For instance about 20 years ago we had precious times at our church when meeting in the filthiest college hall where God’s Spirit was poured out wondrously.  Now we remember God’s Spirit and what he was doing. Then we focused far too much on the terrible conditions.

About that time we also put on a series of conferences which were amazing. As a church we worked hard together and though we loved what we were doing, we didn’t really appreciate the significance of it.  Now we look back with incredible fondness on those days recalling the camaraderie, the sense of common purpose despite the hard work and most of all what God was doing. 

There were the days we ran the youth outreach programme Arrows of Fire taking young people to the nations. O my goodness, it was hard work even though we loved it. Now we see the fruit of that time but then we never really appreciated what we were doing or the investment we were placing in young people’s lives.

I have no desire to wallow in nostalgia but I do wish I had appreciated more the time I was in whilst I was in it.

But what about the bad times? No one likes them and for some the bad can be really awful.

I have never experienced any of the terrible horrors of life but one thing I do know is that God is with us in the darkest hellhole to shine his light and presence. I look back on some of my dark days with a shudder but I know God was working. I was never alone and it is in the dark times our faith grows and we are strengthened with a greater trust in God.

A wise person once said to me as I felt trapped in pain, hurt, disillusionment and despair, ‘Ask God to show you what he is doing.’ I took God’s hand and walked. There were no quick fixes but change and healing did come and I was the stronger for it. I hated it but I can appreciate those times.

However I think it is also just as important to ask God what he is doing in the good times. I know I can lie back and just enjoy it but I believe there will be something wonderful to realise and truth to recognise and be thankful for.

I want to encourage us to appreciate our season, to be thankful and to ask God to show us how he is working in the good and help us through the bad. God will use it and build something eternal into us that will bear fruit for years to come.