A Time For Everything

I know…I've been absent from this space for awhile. Sometimes life gets busy and overwhelming, the good kind and the hard kind alike. Sometimes you just need time to gather your life and your thoughts before sharing in such a vulnerable and public space. And that’s where I’ve been. So much change, in such a short period of time, and totally unexpected. But if I’ve learned anything over the span of my life so far, seasons change and obedience to Jesus is everything. Even when I don’t understand. And when those I love don’t understand. 

When we find ourselves here, and we all will at some point, it’s important to look at what was, what is, and what will be. And to know that we can grieve what was. It’s healthy and beneficial, actually. God’s Word even tells us there's a time for mourning. In Deuteronomy 34:8, “...until the time of weeping and mourning were over”. The Jewish law required burying the dead on the same day they died, then a mourning period took place for seven days, and in some cases as long as thirty days. Mourning was such a deeply held belief that they actually had professional mourners (Mark 5:38).

Just as death marks the end of an era or season, and we mourn that death, I believe the same is true when one season of life ends and we’re waiting for the new to begin. We’re allowed to have a “time of weeping and mourning”, to grieve what was, whether good or bad. 

I’ve often wondered why we struggle so much with this concept. Maybe because we don’t know how to sit with and process our emotions. Or we’ve been told we’re supposed to jump from one thing to the next in a hurry. But what if we took the necessary time to process the season we’re walking out of before jumping to the new? I know the new looks amazing and flashy and beautiful and we think it holds the keys to all the things we’ve been waiting for, but what if we take the time to just sit. And wait. And process. Maybe last season was traumatic and you’re still trying to figure out what in the world just happened. You’re ready to run and get out of this wilderness. Or maybe it was the most beautiful season of your life thus far and you’re not ready for it to end. You’re still seeing the beauty of the valley wildflowers from the mountaintop. Either way, seasons change. And what was, needs to be healthily processed with the One who made the seasons.

I remember when we moved to south Louisiana, I was so excited for a new season that I never even considered how I would feel leaving all things familiar–the home we designed and built, my family, my friends, the life I had built for 42 years. It seemed glamorous to start over, but in time, my excitement gave way to this odd feeling I couldn't explain. I loved all the new things in my life, but I longed for the familiarity that I had left behind. One day a new friend said to me, “Make sure you take time to grieve the past season.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. Nobody had ever given me permission to grieve a season. It had never crossed my mind. I had always gone from one season to the next with no thought of anything else but moving forward. This new concept completely changed my life and how I’ve processed things since. 

So here I am leaving behind another season and heading into the next. But this time, I’ve taken the necessary time to grieve before moving forward. I sat with the Lord and poured out my heart. I talked with Him about the good things that happened–the deep, innerl healing I’ve experienced, the sweet friends I’ve met, the changes He’s made in me. And I wept with Him over the hard things–the frustrations of things not working out how I expected, the disappointment in people I love, and the letting go of things I held dear. I grieved good times and bad times, and let Him speak His love, His truth, and His wisdom over me. 

I’m entering this new season with fresh vision, fresh perspective, and excitement deep in my spirit for the things He’s already spoken. I’ve been sitting with Him, and like Mary, treasuring and pondering these things in my heart. I know this season will last for its appointed amount of time, with its own ups and downs to navigate, and I’ll walk through another time of mourning again one day. But for now, I'll laugh and dance into this new season as I follow His lead, knowing there is a time for everything.

I shared this with a friend recently, and will say to you too–grieve for the time needed to grieve, then lace up your boots and grab your backpack. There’s a new journey ahead!

I'll leave you with this from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, 

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."

All my love,

Angie