One of the constants in my life has been that things are always changing.
And those changes have not always been easy. Many have been quite painful, and some still are.
Perhaps the most difficult changes have been when friends move on. Some of my closest friends in this life have moved away over the last couple of years. Job changes. Family ties. All good reasons, I suppose.
It is what it is.
God brings amazing people into your life and you enjoy the blessing of spending quality time with those friends. You can be spontaneous and call up your buddy and say, "Let's hit the river today!" Some of my best memories are times such as these, spent with a close friend.
But I am learning that these amazing people that God brings into our lives are for a season. Some of the seasons are long, while others, not so long.
It's all about appreciating the time that you do have with friends, and making the most of that time while you have it.
What I am learning is to expect situations to change in this life, and to turn and thank God when it happens.
I know it's an over-used cliche' but there is a "reason for the season."
God brings people into your life for a reason. He has a purpose for aligning you with someone. And even though the distance may increase between you geographically, the true bond of love and friendship cannot be broken. If you have friends who are also your family in Christ, that friendship is forever. And the relationship you enjoy now is merely a small taste of the kind of eternal fellowship you will enjoy with those true friends after this temporary life comes to a close.
And I believe that part of the reason that God allows, or directly causes our seasons of life to change, is so that we do not become so enamored with other people, things, or situations, that they could come between our relationship with Him.
So, knowing that, I have learned to not hold on to the things of this life so tightly that it will ruin me if those things or people in my life were to suddenly go away.
In this current season of my life things are particularly sweet. I have an amazing relationship with my wife, and after being together for almost thirty years, things just seem to keep getting better. My job has been called the "perfect job" for me by several of the people that know me best. I enjoy a freedom in my job that I have never experienced before. We have some amazing friends and we get to spend quality time with them on a regular basis. Life is pretty good right now.
But I don't know what's coming tomorrow.
There is a street sign a block or so from our house like the one pictured here that says, "Bumps ahead."
At times in the past when things have been going well, I noticed that sign and God reminded me that trials, trouble and suffering are a part of this life. While I know that is true, I haven't always been amused by that truth.
But as I write this today, I can look back and smile, and gratefully remember that, while the bumps in the road from yesterday were uncomfortable at the time—some extremely painful—God always got us through those bumpy and difficult times.
Suffering and fiery trials were no stranger to the first disciples of Christ. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans chapter 5:
God has a divine purpose in allowing you to suffer through the difficult trials of this life. But we have learned through life experience that we can have absolute hope and assurance in any difficult situation, because God has faithfully brought us through every trial we have ever faced.
Another unexpected blessing throughout my ever-changing seasons of life has been that when friends have moved on, God has brought other people in my life that have become of some of my very best friends.
If you are suffering through a dark, winter-like season of life right now, have hope in Christ; for this trial too shall pass. The bright, sunny days of summer are coming.
The Harvest is near.
Appreciate the people who are in your life right now. Don't let precious time slip away from you because of the distractions and busyness of this present life. Spend quality time now with the people who God has put into your life. Let those precious people know just how much you love them.
The time is short.
If you are a follower of Christ, you are not alone. He has not left you as an abandoned orphan. You have a faithful Eternal Father who will never leave you or forsake you. He will never stop loving you.
As the song says, "And though our sorrow may last for the night—joy comes in the morning!"
Hope does not disappoint.
—God is Love and Love Never Fails.
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