Trusting God in Your Season

by Peg Arnold

To everything there is a season and a purpose under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

My grandmother lived on a corner lot and had a garden that everyone in town admired. People actually slowed their cars just to see the colors and the sheer beauty. I loved walking through her roses in spring, eating her juicy grapes in summer, and picking apples from her tree in the fall.

Then one November afternoon, I came running inside in tears. The rose bushes looked like dry twigs. The grapevine had withered. The flowers were cut to the ground. “Grandma, what happened?!”

With the patience only a grandmother has, she walked me through every inch of that garden and explained what she was doing and why. Without that pruning, the fruit would get smaller and fewer. The roses needed time to strengthen their roots to prepare for spring blossoms.
I never forgot that lesson. The older I get, the more I see it playing out, not in gardens, but in us.

G: Ground Yourself in Spring

There is nothing quite like spring. Something wakes up when the snow melts, and the warmth awakens new growth and blossoms. The joy of spring is possibility. The challenge is follow-through. The work of spring is preparing the soil and, as the green sprouts pop through, keeping up with watering and protecting them from the storms.

I remember moving to Maryland as a new bride, leaving Michigan behind with a heart full of excitement. But I was met with the reality of loneliness in a strange new place. The tender seeds of expectation were threatened. The storms of fear and doubt crept in and swept the joy right out of that season. I needed to seek and trust God’s plan in this new place.

Grounding yourself in the Lord through prayer, quiet time, and His Word builds a foundation of trust, giving you the strength to take hold when the storms show up.

Are you in a season of new beginnings? What seeds are you planting right now? What are you doing to protect them?

R: Root Out the Weeds in Summer

Summer is the sweet season. If you did the work of spring, the prayer, the study, and showing up faithfully, your fruit ripens, your basket fills, and you are strong enough to give to others without running dry.

The joy of summer is abundance. The challenge is apathy. The garden can be full and prolific, but this is the season you most need to weed. Distractions, shortcuts, the slow drift away from what keeps you rooted, these are hardest to notice when everything looks healthy on the surface.

I remember a season in my own faith when things were going so well that I stopped being intentional. I let my quiet time get eaten up by texts, emails, and social media. I didn’t notice the weeds of busyness until they were already choking things out.

Are you in a season of abundance? What needs weeding so the harvest stays sweet?

O: Open Your Hands to Pruning in Autumn

Autumn is about harvest and pruning, both of which require wisdom. I had an apple tree once that produced the most beautiful, luscious apples for a few years. Then, slowly, the fruit got smaller, pithier, and more sour. I didn’t think it needed pruning because the branches were beautiful and green. I didn’t realize that cutting live, healthy branches would actually improve fruit quality.

That is the hardest truth of autumn. Sometimes what needs to go is still valuable. But Jesus reminds us in John 15 that even healthy branches need to be pruned. When we open our hands and do this faithfully, it makes room for something better.

Are you in a season of harvest? What do you need the courage to prune?

W: Wait in Trust Through Winter

I have experienced winter. Real, long, hard winters. One of the first was unemployment that stretched through the holidays. Another was losing my mother to Alzheimer’s, the disease of many goodbyes.

Since then there have been several other seasons of loss, expected, unexpected, and self-imposed. Those of you who have walked that grief know the layers of shock and helplessness it leaves behind.

Then, just when I thought spring was within reach, both of my adult children took opportunities that moved them far away. My son to Philadelphia. My daughter to Colorado. Those moves carried a juxtaposition of emotion, from excitement to grief, and I was not prepared for the latter.

Winter is real. The isolation, the fear of change, the sense that spring will never come. And yet. This is the season when our roots can go the deepest. When the noise quiets and all that is left is our God and us. Winter is not a punishment. It is preparation. Remember my grandmother’s roses? They were not dying in October. They were strengthening to bloom in May.

Is there joy in winter? Absolutely, intimacy with the Lord is unlike any other season. The challenge is trusting what you cannot yet see.

Are you in a season of winter? Can you give yourself permission to rest in the roots?

The Garden Is Still Growing

No matter which season you find yourself in, you can be fruitful and flourishing. Jeremiah promises that those rooted near the living water are not bothered by heat or drought. Their leaves stay green. They never stop producing.
So remember:

Ground yourself in prayer.

Root out the weeds before they take hold.

Open your hands to pruning.

Wait in trust through the winter.

Your season is not your destination. It is your preparation.

Which season are you in, and what one thing could you do today to tend what is growing?

About Peg

Peg Arnold, speaker, author, and drama queen for Jesus, brings stories to life through engaging drama and messages that encourage others to embrace their God-given value. Balancing the roles of wife, mom, nana, and counselor gives her unique insights into life’s joys and challenges. Her publications include Devotions for the Distracted Heart and Making Your Message Memorable, along with devotions on YouVersion and contributions to many devotional anthologies.Visit her at www.pegarnold.org.