Welcome my friend, come on in & we’ll enjoy a lovely cuppa together in my Spring garden here on the east coast of Australia.
Today the sun is shining, the birds are chirping & the cloudless sky is an azure blue, all seems right with the world in this moment.
We are sitting surrounded by Azaleas, Rhododendrons, African daisies, Blue Bells, beautiful purple & blue Match Stick Bromeliads & our strawberry plants are bearing fat ripe strawberries.
I have a selection of teas & a plate of treats for us to enjoy. Now we’re settled let us begin…
Seasons
Seasons come & go…don’t they? At the moment the Southern Hemisphere is in Spring while the Northern Hemisphere is in Autumn.
I’m sure we’re all well aware of the four seasons, the different seasons of life & the seasons that are related to aging.
You may remember Season is my word for this year, while I haven’t written about it in a while, I have been learning some valuable lessons around this theme.
Recently, I dropped by Lisa’s who has a Word of the year link up & she proposed the following (my interpretation) to;
- Look up the meaning of your word/theme.
& ask yourself the following questions;
- Does this meaning change how you view this word?
- Does this meaning give you a new idea for practicing your word?
Hmmm…great suggestions.
So thinking that the meaning of Season was pretty straight forward, I thought I’d look it up anyhow as it couldn’t hurt…right?
On looking up Season I saw the two meanings I already knew, that of the four seasons & to season food.
However, there were more meanings in fact another two!
One being a series of events within a Season (ie. episodes) & the following which is the one that really struck me;
The Seasoning of timber, felled timber is held in a waiting period for it to Season until it’s ready for its purposeful use (it has to have just the right moisture content, in other words it needs to lose moisture for any purposeful use).
Hmmmm….Wow!
What really jumped off the screen to me were the following words, ‘held in a waiting period until it’s ready for its purposeful use.’
Why?
Well for a long time now hubby & I feel that we’ve been in just such a season, you see both of us are in early retirement, due to chronic health conditions.
We had thought that we would continue to work in our respective professions until we stepped into Heaven.
Unfortunately, we went from being very busy people to well retirement literally overnight but not at the same time, I went first.
While my husband, who could see the writing on the wall (God’s clear direction) that with his health issues & the physical demands of his work in the Building Industry at the time were not going to be a continuing combination.
So he set about retraining into a less physically demanding job, a profession in the medical field. Excelling in his degree & clinical prac which he enjoyed immensely.
Sadly, during this time we lost our son in law in a horrific car accident & six months later hubby lost his Dad due to another devastating accident.
Hubby’s health markedly declined at the end of this period & with another chronic diagnosis, he too had to take early retirement. Which was a devastating blow & a most difficult situation to grasp for both of us.
So you can see why we’re feeling that we’ve been placed into a Season of waiting… the feeling of being in a prolonged Winter.
While we acknowledge the amazing work & blessings that God has been doing in this Season.
We feel that God has something more for us ahead. Although we have no idea at this point what that is or when that will happen. But we trust that He will reveal it to us in His perfect time.
Getting back to Lisa’s suggestions…
Does this meaning change how you view this word?
Yes, it has! The meaning of being set aside to Season has enriched my world beyond measure. Knowing that we are in this time of waiting until the right time comes for His purpose is comforting.
Does it give you a new idea for practicing your word?
Yes, knowing that we are being Seasoned for God’s purpose has given me renewed inspiration & insight.
Especially insight into what God is doing in our lives during this season, which has been far deeper spiritually then I had even imagined.
Thinking of the timber needing to lose its excess moisture to be ready for its purposeful use has given me the following analogy, that we too need to ‘let go of the thoughts, dreams & things of the past,’ to be ready for His future purpose.
As Isaiah 43:18-19 tells us,
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
Do you have a word or theme for the year my friend? What has God being teaching you?
I’d love to hear about it, please share in the comments below.
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or in Prayer
© 2023 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo by Rukiye Demir on Pexels.com
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Jennifer, I love what God is teaching you and how He teaches us. It is so beautiful Blessings to you.
Thank you Deborah. Blessings to you too 😊
I always want to pick joy as my word, we all need as much joy in our lives as we can possibly stand. As for seasons, I have been in my own for years now dealing with health issues (arthritis/fibromyalgia) that turned my once full and busy life completely around at a young forty years old. It caused me to have to give up my job as a nurse and deal with the unknown. That was years ago and I’m still here. Blessings to you and your husband, may you both do the best you can with the challenges you face. Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedLinkParty 132. Pinned.
I love that you pick joy as your word Dee! I hadn’t realised you also have FM & autoimmune conditions. There’s so many of us! It’s a hard journey but one that we are not alone in…Bless you!
Dear Jennifer,
First of all, I’m so sorry for the extensive loss and grief you and your hubby have encountered in recent years. And I thank you for sharing your story.
My dear man was what we call “career-ended” in 2014 as the result of a perfect storm of business decisions and health concerns. He was 53, and we figured it was a temporary season, but that was 9 years ago. I later left my job to be home and available to him. It’s a lot to take in.
I have many times heard a whisper in my heart from God that reminds me, “your latter days will be better than the former”.
That hasn’t been so in a financial or career sense, but it has been so in our marriage, faith, and service to God.
I encourage you that “season” is a beautiful word full of life and hope. You’ve encouraged me!
Bless you.
Thank you Lisa! You’ve encouraged me too! ☺️ I’m saddened to hear you too are in a season of waiting but rejoice that God is seasoning your marriage in the waiting. Bless you…
Thanks for sharing this touching essay at the Oct. Edition of the Hearth & Soul Party. I’m sure your word for the year will reveal other meanings for you as time passes. Would love you to check out my post #29 through 33 at the party. Happy Oct and best to you. Nancy Andres @ Colors 4 Health
Thank you Nancy! Lovely to have you drop by today 😊
What a wonderful word of the year! I had never really thought of the definition of “season,” and that is such a fantastic perspective. I love the scripture from Isaiah as well. Thanks for giving me something to think about. 🙂 Visiting from Crazy Little Lovebirds linkup. (I’d love you to share this post at my linkup as well, Will Blog for Comments, when it opens tomorrow: https://lifetalesbooks.blogspot.com/p/calling-fellow-bloggers.html)
Thank you Jennifer ☺️. I’ll drop by 👍
I’m glad you did! Hope to see you again next week. Thank you for sharing this post at the Will Blog for Comments #9 linkup.
You’re most welcome Jennifer! ☺️
I’m so sad to hear of your chronic health issues and their toll on both of you, Jennifer. I’m sad to hear about your father-in-law and son-in-law – may the Lord comfort you and your family as you grieve the loss of their presence. I’m rejoicing with you in how the Lord has encouraged your heart with insights into the broader definitions of seasons. My WOTY year is leadership which started the year with humility, and this month expanded into Jesus ministering out of compassion.
Thank you Lisa.
Your WOTY ‘leadership’ sounds intriguing too! I read your post on compassion & had wondered if your WOTY was actually compassion, lol! 😊
A season of waiting is not new to me, but it still can be very hard. As I was reading your beautifully written post, Joseph came to my mind. He was in prison for false accusations and he waited and waited. Finally the bigger plan unfolded. Then I thought of Naomi, God had a plan for her. You and your hubby are there now, but you have not been forgotten, there is a bigger picture. You always encourage me, sweet friend. Blessings always,
Pam
Thank you Pam, I love the examples of Joseph & Naomi, indeed God had an amazing plan for both of them & they were definitely seasoned in their waiting too!
Blessings to you too sweet friend! 😊
Jennifer, I appreciate the additional meaning and how you connected them in your own life. I think in the fourth quarter of our lives we have both the time and the experience to reflect more on our purpose and what awaits us. When we are younger, we are so busy doing so many things both needed and good that we do not see the value of such things. Have a blessed lovely spring weekend, my friend, We are to have a beautiful sunshiny warm weekend that will be a delight after a week of very cool clouds…in autumn here these days ahead are likely the last warmer ones we will have. Blessings, Pam
Thank you Pam. And I agree when we were younger we were crazy busy, it’s actually lovely to have the time to to be able to sit & reflect upon many things before the Lord.
Enjoy you’re warmth my friend! We’re in for a heat wave this week apparently 😬
Blessings to you too! 😊
So good Jennifer! I knew that definition for ‘season”, but never made a connection to my own life as you have. I am so sorry to hear of your losses of loved ones so tragically, as well as your careers. My husband is facing a similar place. And it does feel like you’ve been “set side”. Yet our God is a God of Hope and His good ways always bring purpose to our lives. Thank you for his encouraging word today!
You’re most welcome Donna & thank you for your kind words. 😊
I’m saddened to hear that your husband is also facing a similar season but knowing that the Lord has purpose in this season of waiting is definitely comforting. 🙏
Hi Jennifer, “To everything there is a time and a season.” That was a great word, Jennifer. I am moving into a new season in a new house next week. The greatest thing is my relationship with God never changes… I change! Each season has a time and a purpose in everything. You taught me that! Thank you, it has brought me through many difficult circumstances. Bless you.
You are a truly gifted writer my eternal friend.
Thank you Heather for your kind words. God indeed never changes for He is the same yesterday, today & forever.
God has always blessed your place of residence dear friend, I trust this new home will be just such a blessing. ☺️
Thank you Jennifer. I am going to call it, ‘Bethel’ House of God. I hope all things are working for your good. Keep blogging. Love Heather.
Love the name Heather 😊
Why thankyou!