The Trees, The Climate, & ME Are Having a "Moving" Season!

I looked out my office window yesterday and noticed that my favorite crabapple tree is making an announcement. "I'm 'moving" into Fall. My leaves are changing colors!" Here in Tulsa, it still fills like summer with temperatures in the 90s, but the weatherman reported last night -- cooler temps are "moving' our way! Yay!

Just look at that cutie patootie holding that Texas license plate! What is he saying? He and his family live in Austin now, so maybe that's their announcement. Nope. They did that several months ago. That's MY new license plate. My "season" is going through change and the change is "I'm moving!" Back in July, God said, "Surprise! It's time for a new adventure!" That seems to be how God has had me tracking since my husband's passing. I feel so connected to God's plan because He makes it so very clear when a new season is upon me. God shows up with "Get ready. Get ready. Get ready. Saddle up your horse. You've got a new trail to blaze." Okay, He didn't say those exact words to me, but He made it very clear because my beloved home that I had custom built in Tulsa in 2012.... SOLD.....and I wasn't even trying to sell it. How's that for God giving me a subtle "time to move" nudge?

It's not surprising, because once my kids were all planted back in our home state of Texas, the longing for "going home to Texas" was in me. I've longed for being there to share their lives. After all, my grandchildren are having some really exciting times in their lives and I don't want to miss making those memories with them. AND, I have cousins and other family members and friends there, that I want to reconnect with. Where do those longings come from? I believe that God speaks to us and uses His subtle ways or out-loud ways to guide us. After all, "His sheep (that's you and me) know His voice." (John 10:27). This time, His voice was almost out-loud to me!

I'd like to say this process has been a breeze. The "Canadians" who bought my home, needed a closing date of September 23rd, but because I have ministry and business commitments here until the middle of November, I'll still be hanging around Tulsa a while longer. The movers come next Tuesday and will move all my belongings to a storage unit in Frisco. The icing on the cake was when one of my neighbors invited me to stay at her home because she's leaving town for 2-1/2 months. God sincerely cares about the details of our lives. At the urging of my kids.....I'm going to "gypsy" around for a while and see what God has up His sovereign sleeves for this new season. Some would say that's "flying by the seat of your pants". Moving is that time to amp up because God knows, it can be an overwhelming task, but in so many other opportunities I've faced, I know I eat this elephant.....one bite at a time. I told that to a friend and she said, "Could I bring you some Rolaids?" LOL!

Here's the deal. We don’t have to escape these seasons of our lives because right smack dab in the middle of what seems to be chaos, God brings us calm. And, that's when His strength is made perfect in our weakness and sometimes.....He helps us walk on water!

EVERYTHING Has Its Season

Yesterday I received a Hobby Lobby email and it said, "Fall in love with Fall". Then, it hit me. Fall has literally sprung up on us -- school is back in session, and last weekend, the college teams' fans were out in numbers as they sported their favorite team shirts and colors. I'm already noticing some changing of the colors of the leaves on my trees. And, last night, I even changed out some of my summer shoes for fall/winter ones.

Isn't it amazing how God designed our world? My brilliant, scientific mind knows that seasons are the result of our planet's tilt—when our part of the world tilts toward the sun, we get spring and summer; when it tilts away, we get fall and winter. Our Creator didn't have to do things that way—He could have created our planet with no tilt and no seasons. But, God loves diversity, and wanted us to experience our world from the far north to the far south.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, King Solomon wrote, “There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season.” Many of us would be much more comfortable if everything always stayed the same; yet it doesn’t. EVERYTHING has its seasons. Though many like the changing of seasons in nature, they are frightened with the changing of seasons in life. They grip so tightly to the present that it becomes traumatic when things change. I know change can be difficult, but not so difficult if we learn to go through the seasons, knowing God’s divine purposes are being fulfilled. God has a purpose and a season for everything and right now each of us is in one of His seasons. It’s not about the seasons changing, but it’s NOT seeing God in the seasons.

We hear about Master Planned Communities where the developer puts in a clubhouse and pool and master-plans the number of homes and streets and curbs and amenities. Well, we have the Master Developer and Planner...who is perfectly orchestrating our lives, the seasons we go through and He plans them with our ultimate success in mind. Isn't it time we relax and enjoy each season of our lives.....both in the climate, and in the transitions we go through? After all, He’s the MAN with THE PLAN for our good!