Dear Small Church Pastor,
In the course of a year, we experience seasons as the weather changes from one general type of weather to the next. The dormancy of Winter yields to the vibrancy of Spring. Then the growth of Summer produces the harvest of Fall. We continually experience these changes of seasons because God set all that into motion at creation.
In addition to weather patterns, life has a way of flowing through seasons, too. Childhood is referred to as the Spring of life, our working years as the Summer, retirement as the Fall and finally old age and Winter. If we look around us, we’ll see that there are seasons in almost every aspect of life. Some seasons are brief and some are lengthy.
Do you remember how Moses was initially raised in the education and knowledge of Egyptian royalty? Then he learned how to watch over and guide sheep. Finally, God sent him to lead Israel out of Egypt. Do you remember how long each of those seasons was in his life? That’s right—forty years. Those were long seasons, weren’t they.
In my own life I’ve had some short seasons. My first pastorate was two years. I’ve also had some long seasons. My wife Kathy and I became the managers of a Christian campground in April of 1993 and remained there in that ministry until the end of September of 2020. That was a much longer season.
During the seasons I have experienced, I realized God was teaching me some things I would need later in life. Those lessons were expanded in succeeding years as I learned more about life and the various ministries into which I was directed by God. He was always in control, guiding me and teaching me more about living as a disciple of Jesus. God was preparing me in each season to deal with life and ministry in the next one.
Jesus pulled together a small group of people and prepared them for about three years so they could enter their next season. He taught them. He demonstrated how to minister. He told them how to pray. He gave them the example they were to follow. Then He sent them abroad into their next season.
God is doing the same thing in your life. Look back on where you were when you started your journey of faith. Have you grown in faith? Have you gained more knowledge and understanding about Jesus? Are you better able to fulfill your calling from God today than you were when you first felt that call? Can you see where God brought you along from one season of life into the next and into the next?
Here’s the exciting part of this letter—there’s another season coming, and you’re being prepared for it right now. God knows exactly what He wants you to do next, and He’s getting you ready for that something. He’s teaching you, strengthening you, moulding you and anointing you for your next season.
God is getting you ready, just like He got Moses ready. Jesus is preparing you, just like He prepared those original disciples. Every trial, success, failure or achievement has been arranged to prepare you for the next season. Every lesson learned, every gift sent, every moment of anointing by the Holy Spirit has been designed to get you ready for your next season.
Get ready. A new, exciting, potential-filled season is coming.
Sincerely,
A Small Church Pastor