There's a time for everything...

I went to bed last night full of questions. We'd had a rubbish weekend - not for any particular reason, just being busy and dealing with stuff. Rubbish stuff. And just generally bad moods. Ever had weekends like that? When nothing goes right? When it doesn't matter how hard you try, all the fun plans don't materialise and you head to bed on Sunday night wondering what the hell happened? Well that's where we were.

And as we turned off the light my husband said "When will we start enjoying life again?"

Wow.

Now there's a punch in the stomach! Not only you haven't enjoyed your weekend, but you're not enjoying LIFE? And yet we're supposed to have life, and life in all it's fullness, and you're not enjoying your entire life?!

You see, the last few months have been tough. Not for any big, or major reasons but just an accumulation of things. We feel like everywhere we turn, everything we try, we're hit with brick walls. And all the stuff that we are currently doing is a bit of a slog. Are we trying the wrong things? Are we under attack? Are we experiencing resistance from the devil because we're actually stepping forwards into the right things? I honestly don't know. But it's hard!

So anyway, full of questions - most of which can be summed up in the 'Why is it so hard?' and 'What is the purpose of my life?' categories!

So when I came to read my Bible today I was a bit hopeless, a bit restless and wondering whether God could actually speak to me as I grappled with these issues.

But, of course, God is God and He knows what we need. I'm working my way through Holly Gerth's Opening the Door to your God-sized Dream, and Day 18 led me straight to Ecclesiastes 3:1 - the old classic "There's a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun."

Ok, well it might not be exactly what I wanted to hear, but thankfully in my Bible there was a handy devotional alongside to expand on the wisdom in this verse!

• Every season has a purpose and a part to play in the bigger story of our lives.
• To completely bypass times of restlessness, loss and sorrow would ultimately rob us of the necessary and beautiful process of growth.
• No one welcomes pain, but we can learn to embrace what it stirs within us: a deep, desperate longing for the presence of our Saviour.
• We can navigate the ever-changing seasons by holding fast to our never-changing God. And we can rest assured that every moment in His hands is time well spent.

And it's absolutely right. This season is driving me straight into the presence of Jesus, which can only be a good thing.

But one of the most encouraging things to know? This is just a season. And seasons end. Just as autumn gives way to winter, winter will always give way to spring. And there lies hope.

What season are you in? How do you cultivate contentedness in the waiting?

This month I'm taking part in #Blogtober18 - (hopefully) blogging every day in October! I'm not going to follow any particular prompts, but will be attempting to provide a steady stream of content to give the site a boost in these early days! #PrayForMe! You can follow along with a whole host of bloggers on social media by searching #Blogtober18.