In time the fever heat of summer began to abate.  School started and I was blessed with several hours each day when I could commune with the Lord in silence and solitude.  I could go for prayer walks in my neighborhood, study my Bible and write in my journal. 

The things which had been impossibly out of reach in mid-summer were readily available in the fall.  I recognized another important truth about how Jesus would approach life if He were me.  He would do what was appropriate to the season, not just of the year, but of life.

In His own life on earth, Jesus spent approximately one tenth of His time in public ministry.  What was He doing during the other 90% of His lifetime?  The things appropriate to those other seasons of His life.

When Jesus visited the temple as a twelve-year-old, His earthly parents demonstrated how little they understood Him.  They didn’t know that they should expect to find Him in His Father’s house (Luke 2:41-52).  Yet He did what was appropriate to His season of life by submitting to His parents’ authority and continuing to mature under their guidance.

At the wedding in Cana, when Mary informs Jesus that the hosts have run out of wine, He tells her, “My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4)  In the end, He must have concluded that the time was right, because He did discreetly turn the water into wine, but His initial reaction indicates that He had been waiting for the right season to begin performing miracles.

Some of the ways I dream of serving the Lord are unfeasible during this season of my life.  That doesn’t mean God won’t eventually allow my desires to come to fruition.  It does mean that I must be patient, and recognize the importance of the work God has called me to now.   I should make the most of my present season.

But how do I do that?  There are a million worthy causes to which I could devote my energy.  How do I know what I am supposed to do, and what I’m not supposed to do during this season of my life?

Jesus tells us the secret to how He Himself knew what He should be doing in John 5:19, “…the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son does in like manner.”  Jesus looked to see where the Father was working.  Instead of charging ahead with His own predetermined plan, He allowed the Father to direct and redirect Him.

Rebecca D. Bruner © 2011