TO EVERYTHING IS A SEASON

Hey there,
Welcome back!!!
It’s been what, 10 months? (yap, not ideal) I could talk about all the mountains and valleys that have contributed to that but none of that matters anyway, I am back now so let’s continue where we left off…

The last time we had our chat I had just left the village to go live with my aunt. Quite excited I was and honestly, I am in awe of how God sent her as my destiny helper to change the course of my life because I am certain that my life would have taken a different trajectory altogether had I stayed in the village.

Psalm 68: 19-20 (AMP) Blessed be the Lord, who bears our burden day by day,
The God who is our salvation! Selah.
20 God is to us a God of acts of salvation;
And to [d]God the Lord belong escapes from death [setting us free].

Oh, how I love new seasons, I mean don’t we all? New seasons are times we would have hoped for/worked towards/prayed for or sometimes even better than we would have wanted! This was the case for me. I hadn’t imagined completely leaving the village, not at that moment at least. The bolt out of the blue though about new seasons is their tendency to require a new version of ourselves, and that more often than not, comes as a surprise to us. We tend to pray for promotion and get a little surprised when that translates to more responsibilities and tasks, we pray for a baby, and get a tiny bit uncomfortable with the changes that come with the gift, we pray for a new house without quite anticipating the work it takes to maintain it. Let’s face it, every new season requires a certain level of growth and that’s okay. In fact, I think it would be absurd if it didn’t.

Luke 12:48b AMP “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.“

Growing up in the village, most of what I knew was from my granny, and that included my recipes. I remember the first time in my new home I was asked to cook vegetables (kale), (not for a smoothie, in case you are one of those healthy beings, it is rather fried as a side dish in Zimbabwe and eaten with starch and possibly meat too.) I remember everyone’s shocked facial expression when I boiled it until it was brown. In the village, this would have typically pleased my granny, but certainly not here in my new home. When any vegetable is boiled until its brown, chances are it has lost all the flavor, so you can only imagine! My granny was old now and didn’t need to hustle her way to chewing food so she much rather preferred her food extremely well done and since I cooked it, that is what she taught me. It all makes sense that way. And yes, that’s all I knew, but….New seasons.

Also, because I had no hands-on parent in the village, I had picked up a sneaky character and boy, my aunt, the new parent, did not spare the rod to ensure she doesn’t spoil the child!!! I had to learn how to be accountable for my behavior afresh, how to watch what I say and yes, get off the TV, my newly found fascination! I mean coming from the village, of course I would want to stare at the TV for most of the 24 hours each day presented to me!

One thing for sure, my aunt was a good mom, now I look back and just marvel at how she managed to do all she did at just 26! She made sure I had a good-looking uniform from head to toe (this might not sound like much until you hear that my uniform was a slightly different blue than the one the school would have preferred because I couldn’t find sizes mine was tailor-made hence the different blue, and she went to great lengths to get that shade of blue in everything else. Great effort), she ensured all my books were covered neatly by her, she had all the girl-talk she could with me to prepare me in case I got my first period when she was not there and ensured I knew where the police station was in case something happened to me and she was not there and everything in between, checking my school work and homework and oh, how can I forget, starting from scratch teaching me how to cook, because they were not about to have old people food in the house, ha ha. I was surprised by all the attention, care and love, it was all foreign to me, but it sure felt good.

At school, on my very first day, which was also my first day in high school, I quickly realized everyone knew each other from somewhere and were already in some form of clique so I didn’t bother much making friends, I looked for the library instead. I started borrowing novels as soon as I could and would get lost in a novel and forget all about friendship every lunch hour. This was especially so when it was time for sports, I would look for a distant place in the sports field, sit on the grass and read my novel until it was time to go. Of course I would have casual conversations with my classmates whenever the chance presented itself but I didn’t feel lonely at all, I enjoyed novel time!

All this is to try and summarize my new season to you. I don’t know the nature of the season you are currently in but I know one day you will look back and all of it will be memories and even if it is not the rosiest of seasons, I am sure the few roses around can distract you from the thorns if you choose to focus on them a bit more than the thorns. We are always constantly evolving as humans and growth comes with both smiles and tears and both of them remind us we are human beings and both are okay, they make us who we are. In the moment, it usually does not make sense when you are going through the valleys of life, but in the end it always does, hold on to the faith that in all things, God works it out for your good. If you are in a more joyful and fruitful season that you don’t wish to end, I am happy for you, cherish it as it is still here, don’t take it for granted.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—2
A time to be born and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.
5 A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.
6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to [a]tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to keep silent and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.

As I am reminiscing on this new season that I had come to then, I am fond of what it represented as a season for me and I am glad that is a chapter I got to live through! 

Let’s pray concerning your current season:
Heavenly Father, thank you for fearfully and wonderfully making me, for loving me with everlasting love and for being intricately invested in every day of my life and writing all of it down in the book concerning my life even before I was born. I thank you for my current season and I thank you for bringing me to it. I trust in you and know that there is no season of my life you have not vetted through your eyes of love and allowed to manifest in my life. I thank you for the good things happening in my life and I thank you for even the bad things happening in my life, because you are working them out for my good. I surrender the bad things to you, I know I can safely leave the heavy yoke in your hands in exchange for your yoke that is lighter. May your name continually  be glorified in all the seasons of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

Listen, I have just gotten back here, I am not about to speak for hours. I am so happy to be back though and I can’t wait to continue blogging again!! Until the next one, have a lovely season, you will be hearing from me again soon!!!

Love-you!