The Seasons Series

Waiting.

It can be one of the most difficult places to be.

It’s the space between the prayer and the promise.

Between the asking and the answering.

Between what we had hoped for and what we currently hold.

Life is full of unexpected change.But if you have peace, then no matter the circumstances, you will have longevity. 

Even in the imperfect arena of mothering, after we enter the dark spiral, we can glimpse the morning light and realize, but grace—that we’ve always been held by grace.

Niki Hardy is an author, speaker, and coach, who believes God loves a cheerful doubter. Yes, our questions hold power, but not to weaken our faith, to strengthen it and draw us closer to God.

My lesson from life in the Holy Land: Let God walk with you, and wherever you go, He will be present as you continue leaning on God.

God designed life to have changing seasons. These seasons are temporary—they were never meant to last.

Ultimately, all that matters is that we show others Jesus, and we speak the gospel. 

Moving into new seasons of life can be unsettling. Just like becoming a first-time mom. Missing the former, hopeful for the future, but a little uncertain. 

Seasons will bring scary changes, but there’s comfort in seeing God weave symbols into my life as reminders that He never changes; He’s right there with me, and thankfully, He’s the One holding the pen.

He was showing me I need to release to fully embrace and enjoy the new season and the new thing He is doing in and through me.

Fall foliage holds profound insights into embracing life’s transitions. I am always mesmerized by the brilliant leaves on the trees yet dread their shedding. As I reflect, I marvel at the ease with which they release from the branches. The leaves don’t seem to hesitate, struggle, or question God.

My husband’s rescue was a testament to God’s presence in our lives, even amidst the darkest storms.

At some point, both of us and all of us, will face our last day. We don’t get a choice in how we die but we absolutely get a choice in how we live. 

Losing my mother after moving to care for her and my dad is a milestone I need to explore. My season of caregiving was packed with moments together. Not all of them were pleasant or easy, or even ones that I wanted to relive, but saying yes to caring for my parents during their final years is something that I always want to remember.

It’s spring here in North Carolina but I’ve never seen a spring like this before. We moved from the Midwest in the fall and while the letting go was hard, God is beginning to show me the hope that comes from new seasons.

Just over a year ago, my oncologist said I would not live to see 2023. She cautioned me about traveling and described (in detail) all the ways my advanced-stage cancer could lead to a medical emergency. Undeterred, I prayerfully decided to delay chemotherapy.

In that moment I felt unseen, unimportant, and overlooked. I vowed right then I would never make another feel the way I felt.

By Christa Spaeth And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree…

By Dr. Gladys Childs To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning,…

By Jennifer McAlister I parked my car on the side of the road and put my head in my hands. The snow on my windshield,…

By Jackie Freeman For everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time…

By Shannon Leibold I’m 45 and going back to school, hoping the old adage ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ simply isn’t true….

By Susan Smith The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature. —Joseph…

by Kate A. Coker-Daisie I wasn’t the smartest math whiz in elementary or grade school, and when I went to the University, I often needed…

by Eugene C. Scott Two months after our wedding The Redheaded-Wildflower (my wife Dee Dee) ventured into the magnificent mountains I first experienced backpacking when…

By Sue Donaldson I’m fully aware that we become mothers to teach us humility. Just when we’re about to understand who we really are, our…

By Donna Chacko, MD My dark winter happened more than thirty years ago. I was very busy as a married mother of three who worked…

By Robin Melvin During my husband’s Army career, we lived in seven states including Alaska, Arkansas, Alabama, and Texas. I enjoyed them all but missed…

by Evelyn Sherwood When my dad moved in with us back in June of 2019 due to congestive heart failure, I had one prayer on…

by Lindsey Bell As a child, it never occurred to me that life might not work out exactly as I planned.  Maybe it should have….

by Vicki Bentley “Oh, I remember those days!” I turned, red-faced from wrangling my two young daughters and a cart full of groceries, to see…