CHANGING SEASONS OF LIFE
Jenny Lynn Estes
“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.” Job 19:25
My strong-willed daughter turned two and I braced myself, expecting increasing challenges in her behavior. However, Zoe sailed through that year with a lively curiosity and mostly content demeanor. That wasn’t so bad, I reflected to my husband as her birthday approached. What’s the big deal with the ‘terrible twos’?
Then she turned three.
That year was like walking a tightrope through a thunderstorm, trying to balance her unpredictable mood swings with everyday life. Zoe was four before we discovered her volatile behavior was linked to an allergic reaction to certain foods and Red Dye #40. I changed her diet and we settled back into an even rhythm of daily activity. But then new challenges arose.
I turned to my friend who had five children and asked, “When does being a parent get easier?”
She laughed and replied, “Never. The challenges just change. As soon as you get one stage figured out, they are on to the next one.”
As adults, our lives unfold in a similar fashion. Each season of life has its blessings and challenges, providing new opportunities to mature and grow— especially in our walk with God. So, what happens when life doesn’t unfold like we expect it to?
Look at Job. He was a righteous man who followed God, yet he lost everything. All the good in his life turned to dust and his friends turned on him. Utterly hopeless, sick, and dying, Job still held onto his faith. Though he questioned and complained, he never wavered.
“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.”
Job had a heavenly perspective that regardless of what happened to him, God would vindicate and deliver him in due time, whether in this life or with Him in eternity. When he stopped wrestling with his circumstances and acknowledged God’s sovereignty, he found the peace and reconciliation he sought.
This year all our lives have been disrupted in one way or another. Regardless of the season of life we are in, the unexpected challenges with this pandemic are daunting. As Christians, this is where the rubber meets the road. How firm is our faith? Are we complaining like Job initially did? Are we judging our friends for their actions or non-actions? Or are we using this time to deepen our faith and grow closer to God? Our Redeemer lives. We can’t change our circumstances, but He can change our hearts.
Mother Teresa struggled with debilitating depression, yet she daily lived her exhortation to others: Total surrender to God. Loving trust. Perfect cheerfulness.
As we face new challenges, let us surrender each day to God—trusting in His loving guidance and grace, and offering cheerful service to our families and friends. Let our unwavering confidence in God overshadow all else. Then we, too, can rest in the assurance of hope: Our Redeemer lives!
Jenny Lynn Estes is a retreat leader and author of The Anglican Rosary: Going Deeper with God: Prayers and Meditations with the Protestant Rosary. Her husband is an Anglican Priest and the Rector of Ascension Anglican Church in Bakersfield, CA. Their daughter, Zoe, lives in St. Paul, MN. To learn more about the Protestant Rosary watch Jenny’s teaching “Learning to Pray with the Anglican Rosary” on YouTube.