Next Season
At the beginning of August, I was enjoying a much-needed vacation in Montego Bay, Jamaica with Superman and friends. (And to think, I almost declined my friend’s invitation for the couples trip because I couldn’t justify why I needed a vacation.) And now, in hindsight, Jamaica was everything my marriage needed after months of back-to-back family and business travel. Jamaica was also everything I didn’t know I needed to prepare me for the next season.
The moment we arrived to our resort in Jamaica, I didn’t recognize myself. It was as if I was having an outer body experience, watching a version of me enjoying a vacation. I didn’t have the weight of mom guilt, the anxiety of being away from my desk, or the pressure of running a business. The only thing I felt responsible for was to thoroughly enjoy myself. I felt so free!
When we were planning for Jamaica, we’d discussed a few excursions. Some of the excursions I couldn’t wait to do, and for the others, I told myself that I’d sit back and watch the others enjoy it because it was out of my comfort zone. The opportunity to try a new thing hadn’t even presented itself yet and I’d already decided that it wasn’t for me. But when we got to Jamaica, the usual fear that would talk me out of trying new and uncomfortable things wasn’t present. Instead, I only felt the urge to embrace those opportunities because those experiences would later serve as a reminder that I can do hard things. And so, I drove an ATV and rode it up and down a mountain! I jumped into the ocean! And I went snorkeling!
At the beginning of each experience, I waited for fear and anxiety to bring me back to reality. And to remind me that I wasn’t thinking or behaving rationally. I was looking for fear to give me an excuse to not try, and for anxiety to help me escape the moment altogether. But at each experience, fear and anxiety never showed up. They had been exchanged for confidence and excitement.
At some point during the vacation, I realized that God was using those experiences to teach and equip me with what I’ll need in the next season. One of the most important lessons that those new and uncomfortable experiences taught me is that help is always available. And it’s always near. Whether I was driving the ATV, snorkeling in the ocean or doggie peddling in the sand bar, a trained expert was with us at all times to provide help and/comfort as needed. The Holy Spirit is the same way. No matter how daunting the task seems, He’s always present to provide help and comfort. I don’t what awaits me in the next season, but I needed to learn in this season that I can do new and uncomfortable things because the Spirit helps me and comforts me.
Jamaica was more than the best vacation I’ve ever had. It was a reminder I didn’t know I needed about the character of God, about the intentionality of God- He won’t allow us to enter a new season without preparation because He’s a good Father. Like a video game, the lessons you learn and the skills you acquire on this level are beneficial to your success on the next level. That means that whatever you’re experiencing in this season, is vital to what you’ll endure next season. So, instead of asking yourself, “Why is this happening to me?” Change it to, “What is this teaching me for the next season?” “How is this preparing me for the next season?” Shifting how you view your hardships and how you view what God allows you to experience, is a game changer!