Seasons

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:”    

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

Memorial Day ushers in a new season in our northern state. The blossoms on the apple trees have finished their fashion show and the buttercups appear along the fence row. The foliage of the hostas are rising to fullness and the weather welcomes sunshiny days. Our cold-starved land embraces the warmth.

What season are you in? Are you cultivating the soil of your writing or are you stalled in a barrenness of words?

Writing is like life in the ebb and flow of seasons. Imagine winter as a time of hunkering down to maintain routines and learn better processes. Spring represents digging into new projects. Summer is a time to weed out that which isn’t growing, and fall is the time of harvest. We could be in winter, spring, or summer for years, when we’re in a hurry to see the fruit of our labor. What does a writer do when it feels all is in delay?

Exercise:

Look at the acrostic ABIDE for an answer to waiting.

1. Allow God to have time to produce what is needed. He “The God who started this great work in you (will) keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish.” Philippians 1:6 (MSG).
2. Be all-in for the season you are in. Instead of wishing your life away, embrace where you are. “Work from the heart for your real Master,” Colossians 3:23-24 (MSG).
3. Invest in your writing life. Conferences, critique groups, and counselors who mentor writers can all increase your confidence in the craft. “Take good counsel.” Proverbs 15:22 (MSG).
4. Dig into God’s Word and let it saturate your words. He will equip you for the job He’s given. “Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (MSG).
5. Experience the joy of living in fellowship with the Lord. As you dwell in Him, He will infuse you with His words. “Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us.” Psalm 89:15-17 (MSG).

When we abide with the Lord, He brings peace and purpose to our writing, and everything else falls into place in due season. May you bask in the light of His presence!

How will you live in the present as you look to the future?

Over 140 of Sally Ferguson’s devotionals have been published in Pathways to God (Warner Press). She’s also written for Light From The Word, Chautauqua Mirror, Just Between Us, Adult Span Curriculum, Thriving Family, Upgrade with Dawn and ezinearticles.com. Prose Contest Winner at 2017 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference.

Sally loves organizing retreats and seeing relationships blossom in time away from the daily routine. Her ebook, How to Plan a Women’s Retreat is available on Amazon.

Sally Ferguson lives in the beautiful countryside of Jamestown, NY with her husband and her dad.

Visit Sally’s blog at sallyferguson.net