Seasons of Life, Don’t Waste the Journey

This week, I was able to listen to an open mic sharing time where people talked about their journeys in life. One-by-one, young and old, through tears and laughter, seasons of life were shared. There was not a dry eye on the zoom call, as we processed with every person that spoke. I was impacted by every story that was shared.

This discussion took me back to Memphis and a time that I was involved in a similar discussion over a period of about four weeks. Individuals or couples would share before our class about their journeys, testimonies about their life. We heard a young mom tell her story of surviving stomach cancer and the fear that one of her children may have it. We heard potential suicide stories, drug overdose stories, job loss, divorce, messy seasons of life. As we listened, we walked the journey with every individual. Each and every person spoke of unforecasted storms in life. Again, I was impacted, to this day, by every story that was shared 15 years ago.

There is something about one’s own story that impacts others in a unique way. Hearing someone’s journey changes one’s own view of life, makes one more appreciative of the gifts they have been given, makes one understand that life is truly about loving other people, and teaches invaluable lessons. You learn of unforecasted storms in life and how they are inevitable.

When I look at my own life, I certainly had not correctly forecasted the storms I’d encountered. I had not orchestrated the events that had transpired. My best developed plans never came to full fruition. My path was littered with times of joy and tears of disappointment.

This left me to wonder, how much can we truly control? As I have walked the path of life, I have seen every journey imaginable, from those that led to stardom in the business world to those that had life end way too soon. I have seen the joys of victory and the damages of defeat. What was true in the stories that I heard was true for me and is true for all: life never turns out as exactly as planned. Behind every façade is a story.

As surely as the tide changes with the seasons and weather, life changes. We change. We go through times of high tide and low, seasons that are calm and those that are tumultuous. Each season gradually dissipates into a fresh, new beginning. Before you know it, the seasons have flown by and there you stand looking back at your journey.

If you look at the seasons of your life, you will see that you were chasing things at different times, some meaningless, some meaningful. The meaningless times show the power of culture, the danger of folly, the inevitable picture of the fall of humanity. Oh, but the meaningful times. The times that are more than words can describe. The times that move the soul, like when you meet your wife or see your child for the first time. The meaningful times become etched in your mind, helping you remember the details of the season.

We all follow a unique path. If you look closely, analyze each season, there exists principles or lessons for yourself and others. Don’t waste the journey by floating through life without reflection. God sent you down your individual road for a reason. Find out the reason.

My desire for The Anchor is that it would move you to likewise reflect on your own life. Making it through the choppy water is where the joy lies, the learning is, and where the lessons that future generations need to hear reside.

Impact others. Live generously.