January, being the first month of the year, is the perfect time to clean out closets, get our houses and affairs in order, and wipe the slate clean of all past faults or offenses, to create a fresh start or new beginning.
We all have our favorite seasons of the year. Depending on the climate of your region, the Winter season can bring multiple snow showers and icy conditions. Moreover, because many of us won’t travel in icy and hazardous conditions, it can have some great benefits for us: getting some rest, spending time with our families, and catching up on things we’ve neglected because of our busy schedules or due to being stuck in the rhythm of our daily routines.
Have you ever felt like you were in need of rest that was way overdue?
For me, watching a snow shower from my bedroom window is the most prophetic and intriguing scenery ever. The snow covers the trees and ground, appearing as a white sparkling crystal blanket spreading across the entire neighborhood. It looks as though it’s a painted background portrait expressing itself, with the moonlight beaming and reflecting off the sparkling snow, causing the darkness to appear as daylight. What an extraordinary Artist that gives a peaceful, inspirational, and motivational moment to share with us! What an experience of His tangible presences that creates an awareness that can-do wonders for my well-being in all areas of life!
Shortly after, the Spring season arrives. It’s now the time to prep gardens and plant seeds for blooming flowers and pruning and shaping trees and scrubs. But, you must make sure you are prepared for the weeds that grow, causing the appearance of gardens to look less attractive. The “weeds also reduce farm and forest productivity, they invade crops, smother pastures and in some cases can harm livestock. They aggressively compete for water, nutrients, and sunlight, resulting in reduced crop yield and poor crop quality.” However, to solve this problem, the roots of the weeds that are located down in the soil must be completely removed; if not, the left-over roots of the unwanted weeds will reappear again, causing the weeds to choke-out the birth of new seeds and everything else that’s meant to flourish and grow.
Have you ever experienced a dry season in your life?
With that being said, this reminds me of a dry season in my life, in which I was powerless and fruitless. I can remember praying and asking God for more blessings, more opportunities, and open doors, but no matter how hard I prayed, I did not experience a breakthrough. So, I began to ask God for an awareness of what was holding me captive. He showed me a little girl who desperately needed my attention. Inside of her, some weeds took root, creating bitterness, rejection, resentment, and unforgiveness. I asked God to reveal to me how to locate this little girl. Later, while sleeping, He showed me a little girl holding her head down and crying, bleeding from her many wounds. As I started to approach her, she looked up at me, and to my surprise, the little girl was “me.” I had locked her away in my inner soul. I had become emotionally detached from the real me. Yes, I had unforgiveness for myself because that little girl reminded me of weakness, fearfulness, and voicelessness. And as a result, I started to take on other people’s problems to save them from their pain and consequences while neglecting to address my own burdens. I found myself emotionally, spiritually, and mentally drained. I kept going in a cycle that only took me around in circles: no exit to be found.
Through these demanding situations, I had to learn how to give others a drink from the overflow instead of my personal cup. In other words, if my well ran dry, I would not be able to drink nor able to give anyone else a drink. I had to take care of me first. I believe when taking on assignments without preparation or properly assessing the season and timing, events can seriously lead to self-destruction.
Have you ever felt that something “BIG” was going to happen for you?
And you knew without a doubt it was sitting and staring you right in the face, but you couldn’t grasp it? And when the time approached, it didn’t happen, and you started to feel yourself going around….and around….and around again feeling as if God was blessing everyone else, but nothing seemed to be happening for you? Could it be that while you were waiting on God, He was waiting on you?
For example, many of us want God to bless us financially, with a lump sum of money, but don’t know how to manage the little they have. Some want a house, but can’t pay their rent on time. It’s all common sense! God is a God of order. He wants you to have and live the best life, but we can’t do that if we don’t allow Him to touch and heal the broken areas in our life that are hindering us. The only solution is to have the willingness to let God reveal the matters of your heart and accept the things that you cannot change so your seeds can produce fruit, and you can experience a fresh start.
I believe there are situations in our lives that cause us to go through a process that enables us to develop character and regain trust in Him. We must have an awareness when situations arise so we can deal with the matter at hand because unresolved issues become a deeper problem/root that grows deeper. And, although close relationships with family, friends, co-workers, etc., can be very challenging and stressful at times, they can also be inherently rewarding and go a long way towards helping you gracefully deal with a painful situation. According to Mark 11:25-26, “And when ye stand to pray, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
Remember, the surface of any root, if not dealt with, will continue to aggressively spread like wildfire. It will create space, patterns, and opportunities for lifelong disappointments. It is important not to allow the disappointment that will happen constantly throughout your life to consume or overshadow you.
I must admit, I had many deep wounds inside of my soul that are now scars, but my scars represent healing. When facing dark areas in your past, it can feel as though you’re reliving those moments again, and that’s okay because the course of action will diminish the odds of the problem recurring.
Don’t ignore what you know to be the root, allowing the issue to deepen without an end to the cycle. Instead, allow yourself to go through the process because dealing with it brings an end to the cycle.
This IS your season, and the timing IS now, so let’s start to prepare ourselves and discover the deeper meaning that creates the strength needed for us to overcome, grow, arise and triumph over it all by wiping the slate clean!
❤️