Seasons of Life

As I look back, I understand better what the phrase “seasons of life” means. At each stage of our lives, the experiences we have, the issues we struggle with and the successes we crave are different. At each stage we wonder, is this all there is and we look forward to another stage when we imagine we will be free of the worries and anxieties that plague us. And they do go away, only to be replaced by other things we fret over.

Thus, the Psalmist’s description of the tree planted by streams as one “which yields its fruit in season” is really a powerful metaphor. The fruits of our lives are all different in different seasons, and we will be foolish to try and force a fruit that is not of the season. So there was a season of my life when the fruits God was looking to me to yield were faithfulness in raising my family and commitment to the job He had given me. So at those stages of my life, my mission field was the home and my school. I was not called to do anything else then.

Now, I feel I am being called to do other things. I have a new desire to share God’s word, to do God’s work. I don’t feel equipped but I know that is my own sense of inadequacy and that God is nudging me towards doors He has opened for me. Right now, I am attending Cell Leaders’ Training and leading an ALPHA discussion group. And every Wednesday I continue to be amazed at how God guides me in what to say to the seekers who come to Alpha. I am really looking forward to the Cell Leaders Retreat on 22nd Sept as well.

The Cell Leaders Training has been interesting and even though I thought I knew all there was to know about myself, I discovered something else and that was my Love Language. I have known about the 5 Love Languages for a while but never really spent time thinking about it as I thought that it was for couples. But during our first training session, we were asked to spend time trying to understand the Love Language of our cell members as that would show us the best way to show our care towards them. I thought about it and went online that night to find out more.

I found a quiz which I could use to find out my own Love Language and completed it. I’ve put that site on my blog so do go and try it if you are interested. I must say that understanding my Love Language has helped me to understand many things about myself – why I am touched more by a letter or card than an expensive present, why I save smses, why the lyrics of some hymns move me, why I worship best with songs. It kind of makes a lot of sense to me. You must have guessed what my Love Language is by now…. hahaha…

So, I learnt something new. And I have a sense of quiet anticipation for this season of my life.