As we move from the long, free days of summer into the colorful days of fall, I always try to take a moment to meditate on the changing seasons. The Lord was so good to give us the changing seasons as a metaphor for life.
No matter how much we are enjoying one season or another, there is nothing we can do to stop them from changing. The same can be said of the seasons we don’t enjoy. Some people despise the cold and dark of winter, but they can always count on the new life of spring.
The changing seasons of marriage.
The changing seasons of weather are an excellent way to view our seasons in marriage. There are many seasons to every marriage, such as the newlywed season, the season of having babies or toddlers, the seasons of financial change – both good and bad, seasons of job change, seasons of growing older, seasons of moving to a new house or a new state, the list goes on and on. But one thing is for certain, seasons always change. They simply can’t stay the same.
The Lord designed our lives and our marriages to flow through seasons. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” This applies to all areas, including our marriages. There is a season for plenty and a season for want. There is a season for sickness and a season for health. There is a season for difficulty and a season for ease.
Embrace all seasons of marriage.
Embrace each season in your marriage. When there are hard seasons, try to look at them as an opportunity to watch the Lord work. When there are seasons of ease and comfort, be thankful to the Lord for the rest. When there are seasons of want, go to the Lord in fervent prayer together for peace. When there are seasons of plenty, use what the Lord has given to you to help others who are in a harder season.
The Lord wastes no seasons in marriage. All the seasons are working together for our good and His glory. Embracing and using the seasons as a chance to grow together with our spouse is always an excellent practice.
Grace Marriage Mission
Use a date night to ask each other these reflection questions:
1. What season of marriage are we currently in?
2. Is it a hard season or a season of rest and comfort?
3. How are we working together during this season?
4. What could we do to foster more connection between the two of us this season?
5. What specific things can we be praying about during this season?
Louise has been married for 15 years and has four children. She loves to write and edit, but her full-time job is homeschooling her children in Colorado Springs.
Grace Marriage Writer & Editor