To Everything There is a Season...

I was reminded of just how true this passage of scripture is today. As I drove home from work this afternoon, I spent some time reflecting on how God has taught me so many lessons over the past few years. Truthfully, it took me some time to learn most of the lessons, but through the learning process my eyes were opened to this one reality - To everything there is indeed a SEASON!!

For so long, I've been deeply saddened when people have left my life for whatever reason. I couldn't understand why God would allow people to come into my life and mean so much to me only to let them walk away in an instant, but I was reminded that people come into our lives for a purpose and sometimes that's only for a season.

You see...some people plant the seeds in our minds and spirits that give us a glimpse of our destiny, while others come along and nurture that seed in its infant stages. We then encounter people who will help us grow and become self-sufficient, and finally we interact with those individuals who are the harvesters in our lives...they bring out the very best in us. Planters, nurturers, growers, and harvesters...those are the people we encounter in life.

What's the significance of today's revelation?

Well...I've lost 2 really good people in my life over the past few years...no, they did not die, but their season in my life ended. Both of these losses were quite painful, but now I understand that God had to change the role of these people in my life so my growth would not be stunted. I had reached the point where these individuals had served their purpose in my life...they helped me grow in my relationship with the Lord, they helped me grow as an independent thinker, they showed me how to love, they helped me take a stand against being a passenger in my life...these 2 special people positively changed my life forever.

Losing them hurt, but it's a blessing to know that they served their purpose...I learned some important life lessons and through these 2 wonderful people, I am a better person because of their season in my life. It's hard to believe that God brings the planters, the nurterers, and the growers in our lives for the sole purpose of preparing us for the person or persons who will bring out the best in us, the harvesters.

It's so amazing...there's a season for everything!!