There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die… a time to kill and a time to heal… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance… a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Our lives go through different seasons - not just the regular, cyclical seasons of nature, festivals, birthdays and anniversaries, but also the different times of our lives. A season of learning and growing; of falling in love; perhaps of marrying or of becoming a parent; of caring for parents; of coping with disability and illness for yourself or a loved one. Times of loss and times of new beginnings.

Then there are career seasons; training, qualifying, taking up new responsibilities, senior roles, and retirement.

Some seasons come and go quickly never to be seen again; some come by several times; some seem to last for years; some we are glad to see the back of and some we wish could stay forever.

You may be in the middle of a season in life right now, or on the cusp of a change. Maybe you have just started training or have recently qualified or started a new job in a new city, and feel a mixture of apprehension, fear, loneliness, anticipation and excitement. You may have just taken a promotion and have new responsibilities and new leadership roles to fulfil.

Maybe you have been in the same place and in the same role for years, and are either content or itching for change, but not sure where to go next. Maybe your season is one of sorrow and grief, or one of overwhelming pressure and intensity, or maybe it is one of rest and restoration.

Remember this one thing: The Lord is with you in whatever season you are in right now. Give it to him, with all your hopes or fears, boredom or excitement. Listen to him - what is he saying to you at this time? Seek his will - what does he want to do in you and through you in this period? Walk with him through this season - its highs and its lows - and remember that you do not walk through it alone or by accident.