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NewsDay

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Understanding seasons of life

Opinion & Analysis
The cold spell came and has passed through and now gone albeit temporarily leaving space for the hot season.

The cold spell came and has passed through and now gone albeit temporarily leaving space for the hot season.

Erasmus Makarimayi

It is going to be released again next year as summer subsides. Naturally there is mixed reaction to the change of seasons. There are those that a crying foul because they thrive in winter.

On the other end some are rejoicing because they are summer people with high output under high temperatures. There is another group that doesn’t want either hot weather or cold weather. They want laboratory lifestyle.

The last group rejoices throughout the year with ability to adapt to any weather doing well come rain come thunder. Any gun can shoot, they say. They are all weather people; all rounders. Understanding seasons of life help us live in peace and joy throughout the year.

The phenomenon of seasons has always been there before us and remains in force.

In creation, God declared in, Genesis 1:14, “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” This tells us seasons come and go. They have a beginning and an end. Seasons will appear in cycles and you should adjust accordingly. Since seasons cannot be bound and cast away you have to develop the right attitude for each season.

Seasons affect the young and old, rich and poor cutting across the racial, socio-political, economic, cultural and religious divides. You cannot send them back to sender or hide under the insulated conditions of Goshen. You have to pass through them.

We must discern God’s spiritual times so that at no time should we lack understanding. The Bible commends people that know the timings of God. 1 Chronicles 12:32 reads, “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.”

You should know when to cry unto God in prayer and when to rejoice and thank Him in praise and worship. When it is raining a raincoat and umbrella are ideal. However, a raincoat is not ideal in scorching heat conditions whereas an umbrella can still be relevant only to lose meaning under a cold spell. Each season should teach you a lesson and equip you for the next season. Individually we experience seasons, winter, summer, autumn and spring. We experience these seasons differently.

These seasons differ between northern and southern hemispheres. Spiritual seasons depend on our relationship with God revolving around His Son, Jesus Christ.

What God wants to accomplish with you now may differ from what He is doing to someone else. Don’t run away from your season, there is providence of God in your season tailormade for you. If you stay put, value will be added to you. If you jump around, you never grow roots and if you run away, you miss the vision.

As you either endure or enjoy any season, do it in full knowledge that God never made a mistake in His creation. He saw that all was good.

Farmers know when to plant certain crops in appropriate seasons. Every season is good. In winter for example they engage in winter wheat farming and in summer they go for maize. Don’t let any season throw you out of orbit.

Stay afloat and remain relevant. Be fruitful in each and every season. Winter is about what is happening beneath the surface not above the surface. Go for further studies, develop new models and brand and scheme better options.

In each season, learn to exist on what has been stored up in previous seasons. Never allow a season to pass while you fold your hands and questioning God’s sovereignty. Seasons add flavour to your life.

A season of barrenness does not mean you are not fruitful in your whole life. A passing phase should be treated that way.

What is the season in your life? Embrace it and prosper. Don’t throw tantrums and curses. You should not be brewing jealousy, envy, bitterness and bewitching others.

Your hard times or dry patches are not meant to pull your neighbour down, but to reflect and aim higher. Behave yourself well and prepare for the next season. Since seasons are guaranteed by God, therefore go through them joyfully with hope. Be patient with God. Be still and know that God is God and wait upon Him as He renews you.

Above all know that spiritual seasons are not conditions to measure godliness. Living under a temporary dry spell does not in itself mean you are in sin and under a curse.

Being in a harvest season does not mean you are righteous above all others. Commiserate with those in hard times and rejoice with those in harvest.

You are going somewhere.