Blooming in Stillness: Hidden Beauty Within Dormant Seasons of Life. Is there beauty found in dormant seasons? Nobody likes to be un-productive. You never hear people post on social media about how un productive or un motivated they feel. Yet it is a certainty, we will all go through seasons like this.
While visiting my sister and her family over Christmas of 2020 the Lord gave me a little insight and encouragement. Her beautiful deck overlooks a forrest of trees. When they moved in the fall she was greeted by bright oranges, yellows and deep reds all around as they went down the quaint tree lined road leading to their new home.
For a Southern California native who hasn't experienced seasons it is breathtaking. My husband and I visited in the winter, the trees were bare and snow was on the ground for some of our stay. Some might not categorize bare branches as beautiful, especially in contrast to the colors of fall, or encompassing green of summer and spring blooms.
Yet the Lord challenged me to see the beauty of these barren branches.
As I sat on her deck she pointed out that you could see the lake now that the trees were bare. God immediately quickened my heart to the idea of how we define a beautiful or productive season. The bare branches may not look as beautiful in comparison but they revealed the beauty of the lake.
Sometimes we need to be stripped of things to see the beauty in other things.
New perspective comes when things are stripped away
Gained refreshment from listening to God and how He designed our seasons to be
Recognizing it prepares us for coming seasons
We acknowledge our dependency on God and trust Him more
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
God designed us, he designed the world and the seasons for all of His creation. If it doesn't surprise us to see a tree loose it's leaves every year, why are we so embarrassed or resistant to leaning into a season of rest and recovery?
What would it look like for you if you told God you'd accept His seasons for you how, He designed? Do you have pre conceptions about productivity? Could you give up or change that? What benefits would you experience?
What would it look like for you to Bloom in Stillness and find the Hidden Beauty Within seemingly Dormant Seasons of Life?! I would challenge you to take some time and assess the season you are in. Sometimes seasons of rest come when we least expect it.