Every couple of weeks, the moon will reach the middle of its cycle, fully gracing the heavens with its splendor and illuminating the night sky. But every night during this phase, it's hard for me to sleep because it shines so brightly! Even though I shut my blinds and close my eyes moonlight still manages to peer through my bedroom window and keep me awake.
One night I realized that the moon had finally changed positions. It was no longer high up in the sky as it had been in nights before; rather, it slowly begun to make its descent to the Western region of the sky. This seeming shift in position is due to the rotation of the Earth, of course; but I realized that although it was annoying for it to be there, the moon was appointed to be there for a specific amount of time.
I'd been aware of the shifting phases of the moon all my life. But that brief moment of observation gave me a newfound revelation: there is an ordained cadence to life established by the maker of time Himself.
Ecclesiastes chapter 3 expounds upon this truth in depth, giving words to this thing called the human experience: "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1, emphasis added). When going through difficult times, the idea of an appointed hardship can be hard to reconcile. Questions begin to surface like,
"Why am I here?"
or,
"What did I do to deserve this?"
or,
"Why is God punishing me?"
From my heart to yours, trust me when I say that I've asked God these questions at one point in my life, too. Jesus is my closest Friend - but there have been times when it didn't always feel that way!
I've wrestled with questions like, "If God is good, why would He let me experience all of this pain??" In hard times, I was uncomfortable with my circumstances... yet everything was out of my control. I was frustrated and restless! I wanted to do something, anything, to move forward and get out of this season of my life.
Then, one night as I was reading scripture, I "stumbled" upon Hosea 2:14-16 which reads:
"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to here. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt."
I was deeply moved, because that's exactly what God was doing for me. For a while I struggled with how God could lead his beloved into a time of hardships and testing, but then I remembered that Jesus Himself was intentionally led into the wilderness, too (Matthew 4:1).
Simply put, hard times are necessary for the cultivation of faith. Sometimes God will lead you with your eyes closed just so you can fully trust Him when He leads you with your eyes open. It's difficult... I know. But the process -no matter how messy- is painfully beautiful.
Just like the continual rotation of the Earth causes the moon to shift positions, so your life is continuously moving. You are not stuck. You are not forgotten. You are right where you need to be.
If you've ever been disappointed with circumstances life has thrown at you, can I just encourage you to pause for a moment?
Pause. Breath. Reflect.
In my times of disappointment, I found myself getting mad at God, and harboring resentment in my heart towards the One who gave His life for me. It wasn't right, and to be honest, it wasn't justified.
Luckily, I was able to glean wisdom from those low moments. So, here's what I'd like to share with you:
God wants you to talk to Him.
He sees your disappointments. Your heartache and anger does not intimidate God. He knows that you're struggling... and He wants you to open up. Be real; be honest. The Lord delights in honest prayers. When we stop pretending like everything's okay, when we stop putting on a show for God, when we let Him into the dark, broken places of our hearts... that's when true freedom can reign. There is power in an honest and vulnerable prayer. When I finally decided to just talk to God (even if I was yelling at Him), my heart felt so much lighter and He was able to comfort, encourage, and give me clarity that I so desperately needed.
He understands your pain.
You don't have to feel guilty about the emotions you're feeling. If you're angry, let Him know. If you're hurt, let Him know. If you're disappointed, shocked, scared, annoyed, overwhelmed - let Him know. God understands all of it. Every heavy emotion you feel is for a reason, and those emotions are valid. Don't allow them to blind you from seeing that God cares for you deeply. Not only does God understand your pain, but He has a purpose for it, as well. It is tempting to believe that God doesn't care about our pain, but I can assure you that He does. You can give Him your pain - He'll gladly take it (1 Peter 5:7).
Seasons are appointed to change.
Seasons are temporary. They arrive at an appointed time, and they change at an appointed time. I know that it's hard to remember this when everything seems to be coming against you - but you must remember it, nonetheless. Nothing lasts forever and your circumstances will change. I promise. In the meantime, God can comfort you. Let Him hold you close. The Bible states that "the LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:8). It may seem like God is far away, but according to Truth, it is in these moments of pain that He is closer than ever.
God makes everything beautiful in its time.
Timing is everything. We may not always understand what God is doing; nor will we always understand why He is doing it. We're not supposed to always understand. But that's okay. You're okay. Everything will be okay. When a flower is first beginning to bloom, it is closed. Yet overtime, the flower slowly opens up and its bright, beautiful petals are exposed for all to behold. There was a necessary process that had to take place for the flower to reach that point, but it bloomed, and it was made beautiful - in time. You'll bloom too, dear one. Give it time. You will bloom.
"Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you." Matthew 6:28-30
Thanks for reading! No matter what season of life you're currently in, I sincerely hope these words were able to encourage you.
Crystal ❤️