God of New Life
"Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is!" (Isaiah 43:19 MSG)
What seasons of life are you in right now?
I ask about seasons, plural, because even though we often talk about being in a season, singular, I think we mostly live life in several seasons at once. Frequently, we're in seemingly "contradictory" seasons: both in a time to be born and in a time to die, for instance. But rather than fighting against each other, I believe God intends for different seasons of our lives to balance each other, to complete each other, because He is a God of completion.
Too, I love that Scripture is both specific and general. Its Author wrote it with a fine-tipped pen and with broad brush strokes so that we would have clear truth as well as wide applicability. Such is the case with today's season: "a time to be born" (Ecclesiastes 3:2). So many things are born in our lives. Perhaps you're waiting for or have recently experienced the literal birth of a baby or grandbaby. (If so, congratulations!) But maybe a new job or new relationship or new ministry is what's being born in you, to you, for you.
I'm struck by the process at play in a time to be born.
Usually, there is prayer: we ask God for what we want Him to give birth to and for the wisdom to know what part we play in that birth.
Then there is preparation: we take action, get ready.
Next, a pause: we wait and watch.
Finally, praise: we celebrate and give thanks for the new life God has caused to be born.
Sweet friends, if you're in a time to be born, may God cause you to recognize His answers to your prayers. May He guide your preparations. May He give you patience during the pauses. And may He receive your praise.
Be born in me.
I'll hold you in the beginning,
You will hold me in the end.
Every moment in the middle,
Make my heart your Bethlehem.
Be born in me."
("Be Born in Me;" from "Music Inspired by The Story;" Francesca Battistelli; songwriters Bernie Herms, Nichole Nordeman; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsXOP7aQeqQ.)
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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!