As Christians, we will face many different seasons in our lives. Some seasons last the majority of our time on earth, some last a handful of years, and others only last a short while. No matter what type of season we are going through, let us never forget that each and every season, despite the length of time, has purpose and meaning which God ultimately uses.
Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven,” (v.1 NLT). We love and appreciate the seasons that bring us peace, laughter, and joy. But what about the seasons of struggles, second-guessing, and tears? It can be so difficult to see God or trust Him in those times; however, just because it becomes difficult for us to understand the plans of God in the midst of uncertainty, it does not mean that God has forgotten the plans He has for us. There is purpose in every season.
Many of us are already familiar with the account of Jacob marrying Leah and Rachel, but for those who are unfamiliar with it, allow me to review it briefly. In Genesis chapter 29, we read that Jacob was very in love with Rachel, so much so that he told her father that he would work for him for seven years to be able to marry Rachel. After those seven years of working for her father, Jacob ends up marrying Rachel’s sister Leah instead. Because of his love for Rachel, Jacob works another seven years to marry her, and after all of those years, he is finally able to marry Rachel.
Jacob had to work a total of fourteen years in order to marry Rachel! Talk about a long season of waiting! We can read this and be so excited about how Jacob and Rachel got their “fairytale ending,” and they were able to get married, but what about Leah? The bible actually goes on to say that, “...the Lord saw that Leah was unloved…” (v. 31 NLT). Through this, God allowed Leah to have children and among them were both Levi and Judah. The tribe of Levi later became the tribe that had direct access to the Tabernacle and Temple, and who were also the main priesthood. The tribe of Judah later became the tribe that our Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be born from. Leah, although unwanted and unloved, gave birth to two of the most impactful tribes of Israel.
There are going to be times in our life when we have such strong desires and passions and all we want to do is run after that, but God says “not yet” and we end up in a different season than expected. In these moments, in these seasons, we can get confused and upset and wonder “God, why is this happening,” but He has a purpose for every season.
Let’s look back at Jacob, Leah, and Rachel. Just as Jacob was very in love with Rachel, we can have dreams and aspirations, in accordance to God’s will, that we love very much. However, Jacob was given Leah to marry instead. We might be given or put into something that wasn’t originally on our radar and it throws us off. But let me ask you this: even when Leah was unwanted and unloved, did God push her to the wayside and give her a life of loneliness and misery? Of course not! God used Leah to produce goodness in the form of her children Levi and Judah. In the midst of our seemingly “bad” or unwanted season, God will produce good fruit in our lives and in the lives of others we encounter.
Let us not forget something important: Jacob did eventually get what he desired; he married Rachel. God knows our deep, passionate, burning desires inside our hearts, and because He is such a good Father, He delights in satisfying His children. Our originally unwanted season is just that, a season, and it’s not going to last forever. But while we are in that season we didn’t ask for, we need to constantly remind ourselves that God has a purpose and an ultimate plan for this time. If we align our vision with God’s vision, we will be able to see that we are not in a “bad” season we are in a season of growth, strengthening, and refining.
Although we might not see it right away, there will also be fruit beared in the seasons we are in. I don’t think that Leah knew the minute after giving birth to her son Judah that the Savior of the world be a descendant of her line. That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, though. Don’t waste the season you are in, but allow God to use you to impact those around you, because in time, there will be good fruit produced by your obedience to Him.
Throughout the many seasons in our lives, there will be some we welcome with open arms, and some we try to reject. No matter what season you are in right now, I challenge you to reframe your thinking and attitude and align it with God’s will. Ask “what is God’s purpose in this season I am in?” or “how can God use me in this season?” Never forget that your season has a reason, and God is with you and He sees you through it all.
