Enduring Through Each Season

This is perhaps one of the hardest seasons of my life. John 15:1-2 lets us know that as believers in Christ, we will be pruned often so that we continue to bear fruit.

 When I think about that, I picture myself as a garden and I picture God as the gardener taking a huge pair of shears and cutting off anything within me that does not look like Him, sound like Him or act like Him. I imagine Him cutting away anything that does not contribute to His Kingdom. And while I’m so thankful for the pruning that is taking place in my life, I will be the first to admit that it hurts. It’s as if I’m going through a surgery and the Lord is operating on my heart. Things are being taken away and it seems like people are falling away left and right. Doors are being shut, and quite frankly, I don’t understand everything that is going on in this season. However, with that being said, I am so thankful for it. 

As I was praying and crying out to the Lord, He revealed to me that during this season He was building a foundation on my heart that was based upon Christ Jesus. In order to do that, He had to first get rid of the foundation that my heart was previously standing on, which was based on things from this world. You see, the foundation that is currently being built in my heart is a foundation that cannot be shaken. It cannot be moved. It will be solid because Christ is solid. It will be constant because Christ is constant. It will be consistent because Christ is consistent. In order for all of this to take place, I must endure through this season of my life. Maybe you are going through the same season of life that I am going through, but sister, I want to encourage you not to run from the process. There are things that God has to take out of you in order to prepare you for the next season of your life.

The thing about trying to escape from a particular season or a test is that, eventually you’ll have to go through it again. I find that enduring through whatever process/season the Lord has you in is a lot like playing the guitar. If any of you have ever played the guitar, you know that you have to develop callouses so that it doesn’t hurt when you play. When you endure the pain and keep on practicing, you develop those callouses and they protect your fingers while you are playing. When we continue to endure, it’s a lot like building those callouses on our fingers. I can guarantee you that when we endure through whatever process/season that Christ is gracing us to go through, the next time we are hit with a test in that area, we won’t even blink. We would have developed those callouses on our fingers, in a sense. In the same way, if one is not consistent in practice and utilizing those callouses, they eventually go away. So the next time that a person decides to pick up the guitar and play again, it hurts and he or she has to go through the process all over again. When we are inconsistent in enduring through each season, we end up having to go through it all over again. Like I said previously, there is a work that Christ is doing within your heart. There is a pruning process that needs to happen and there is a foundation that needs to be built that is based upon Christ Jesus.

During this season, I’ve been studying Hebrews 12:1-3 like crazy. I feel like I can recite it backwards at this point. 

It reads, “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” 

There is so much that can be taken away from these verses. When I think about all that Jesus endured, I begin to lean on His strength and not my own. I can’t endure all by myself, but when I fix my eyes on Jesus, things become easier. When the writer states “For the joy set before Him, He endured the Cross” I immediately think about the season that I am in and I conclude that for the joy set before me, I must endure the season that I am in. Sis, you must endure the season that you are in. It serves a great purpose in the purpose that the Lord has created you for. Remember that everything that happens, He can use for the good of those who love Him! So I encourage you sis, don’t run from the process. Let God prune you as he pleases so that you can continue to bear fruit for Him. 

About the Author: Anijeh Green is currently a sophomore in college. She is majoring in Education with a concentration in English. She's completely in love with Jesus Christ and excited about the life that He has called her to lead. Anijeh hopes to bless people with her love and gift of writing.