This verse resonates with the season I am in right now. I don’t have any good guy friends my age out here at WFR. And I haven’t since 6th grade. For that reason it’s easy to feel lonely. Especially throughout the year of online schooling sitting in front of a computer screen 8 hours a day five days a week can be very lonely. And loneliness leads to longing and discontent.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” God has a reason for every season of life. It’s hard for me to not label this season of my life right now as a season of loneliness or a season of waiting for the World Race. I am excited for the World Race and that will be an amazing nine month season of my life. I’m excited to meet Jesus loving kids my age, to serve in obvious ways, and to be living in His will for me. I find myself highlighting the bad of the current season and romanticizing the good I envision of the coming season. But this verse says that there is beauty in every season. That beauty is nullified if I choose to ignore it and impatiently long for the World Race season. I need to live in this season. I need to seek the beauty of this season. For God’s will for me is here and now.
A part of that beauty is being alone with God. It’s ironic that I can struggle with loneliness despite the fact that I enjoy being alone with God. Often I find myself thinking that being alone with God is far better than being in good company. I love being alone. Of course I greatly enjoy good company as well; but I do gain energy from being alone. Although one of the large things I’m looking forward to about the Race is being in good community that will also be one of the downsides. I won’t get as much alone time as I’m used to. It’ll be an adjustment. So I’m trying to enjoy being alone as much as I can while I can. Being alone presents many good opportunities. It allows for peace and quiet, prayer, meditation, contemplation, and simple recognition of God’s presence.
There is good and bad to every season. Does that mean I am bound to be lonely in this season? No. Loneliness is a choice. When I am alone it’s impossible to stop the feeling of loneliness from sometimes springing up. But from there I can choose to dwell on it and wallow in self pity or to turn to the Lord. I don’t need to feel lonely; for I am never truly alone.
The fact that I feel lonely at times is proof that I have moved away from God. Often I try to fix my loneliness and the problems that stem from that (lust, longing, and discontent) on my own. I try to ignore my loneliness and pretend to be joyful. For I do have reason to worship and rejoice. And pretending is good. Pretending leads to sincerity. However, I need to acknowledge my loneliness. I must bring my it to the Lord. He KNOWS me and He LOVES me. It is impossible for me to successfully carry this burden on my own (and carry it I must; this is the season God has placed me in). I must cast my cares on Him. He cares for me and has the strength to lift me out of every pit. He wants to walk through every single struggle with me. He will not take it away completely but He doesn’t force me to carry it on my own. He wants me to experience fellowship and dependence on Him. Having to rely on Him deepens my relationship with Him and that is what life is all about.
There is good and bad to every season of life. I need to live in it and enjoy it despite the hard. For God’s power is made perfect in weakness. It’s also important to realize that I cannot see what God sees. “Yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” He is the great orchestrator. He has seen all that was, is, and will be, and He is working it all together for His glory and for my good. I just need to trust Him. Whatever the season it is apart of God’s plan for me. I’m trying to reorient my thinking and to not let the season I’m in be defined by loneliness and the struggles that stem from that. Instead I’m trying to let it be defined by how I’m learning; how I’m growing.
“He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” I think this has to do with the fact that this world is not our home. While we are in it we will be eternally seeking something to satisfy the longing in our hearts. We will be eternally consuming and getting yet always remaining unsatisfied. While we live on this earth there will always be a longing that won’t be fulfilled.
It’s easy for this longing to lead me into discontent. I search for things to fulfill the longing. But nothing but God can. And it will only be fully satisfied when we meet in person in Heaven. Lord willing that is decades away. That is a long time to wait for something so joyous. But the wait will be worth it; also I think the wait will make the moment that much more joyous when it comes.
One last thing I’ve been trying to remember is that no future season will be alike to this one. Every season is precious. Every moment in each season is precious. I must do all that I can to make the most of every day.
What a great God I serve. He cares for me and loves me more than I could imagine. He has a plan for me and is orchestrating it into His master perfect plan for all things. I’m very excited to share about this God to those who are hurt and broken and in need of a good Father who loves and cares for them.
