Seasons in The Son

By Pastor Chuck Rhein

There are inevitably some seasons in life where one major life crisis at a time would seem like winning a lifetime subscription to a daily pie delivery service. Maybe it is because you’re older and your kids are older, and your body is older. But not necessarily. Job said man was born for trouble, and his name carries some serious credibility. I imagine the people that meet Job in heaven probably tend to bring up similar topics with him.

And what seems to follow is not usually what makes it into a sermon, a teen life lesson, or comforting advice for a friend in pain. Rather, it seems that indefinable something that defies reason, rationality, or the logical progression of your life at that particular juncture, and still, it keeps you going. It seems to follow under the category of “This is temporary,” “We’ll get through this,” or “Other people have it worse,” – whatever you wanna call it.

So, you get into that place like the dream you had where you’re trying to run, but, your feet can’t move any faster yet, your heart can’t slow down so, so you awaken to relief when you find out it was only a dream. But this is your life, and you can look around at others’ lives and think,” What happened?” “Are you kidding me?” and, “I thought I knew you.” Still, the Lord inevitably takes you on a fun ride called “your own sinful/wicked heart,” and you realize that you are no better than any breathing human who wore a skin suit that day.

And so you begin writing in that invisible book that nobody sees on this side of eternity. You make entries that look like this: “I honestly don’t know what’s going on around me, but, we have come this far together, Jesus, and based upon Your care, Your Word, Your saints, and the character and nature of who you’ve been in my life, I know that you’re going to get us through x, y, and z.

And He does, in Jesus’ name.