There are definite seasons in nature and definite seasons in our lives. We need wisdom to know what to do in these seasons. It would be foolish to dress for summer in the middle of a snow storm! No farmer sows in winter. Sometimes we try so hard to make something work but we fail to realise that it is the wrong season!
Although the Messiah was promised for hundreds of years Jesus only came in the fullness of time: when everything was ready for him.
God has pre-ordained our times and seasons and the frustrating part is to wait until it is our time!Sufficient Grace
2002/10/27
Dr. Andre Pelser
(With reference to teachings by Linda Seger, Robert Munyien)

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To everything there is a season,
1 A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
8 A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

THE LAW OF THE FOUR SEASONS
God does not promise us a trouble free life but he does promise sufficient grace for every season in our lives from the cradle to the moment he comes to take us away!
One of the laws of nature that has been established for ever is the law of the four seasons: there will always be summer, winter, autumn and spring. As sure as there will be day and night, as sure as there is a sun and a moon and stars above: there will be seasons. There is a time to enjoy the summer but there are times that everything will be covered with the frost of winter. New things will spring up in spring and in autumn dead leaves will fall. God has created it that way. But thank God: He gives us sufficient grace for every season.
If we build our house upon the rock of revealed knowledge and faith in the Name of Jesus, leaning to trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, our house will stand when the storms of life come against it.
If we have Christ as our anchor we can smile at the storm!

THE CHILDHOOD SEASON
A child needs a positive family to learn to trust. If there is no love they see the world as a place that you cannot trust. Parents cannot take care of the child. The mother is balancing work with family care. The father might be abusive to the mother and the mother takes it out on the child. It becomes a social problem that gets worse and worse as the child grows up.

THE TEENAGE SEASON
Even if the family is fine your peers and teacher might not understand you because you are creative. They do not understand your creative drive.

It is hard for people to find themselves. Through the series of events and people they meet they go through transformation. If you are moving your character through the transformation process you have to make it smoothly.

Those who cannot find their individuality begin to conform to someone or some group in order to find a niche in life. The parents send them to that specific school for a certain reason: to conform to that society.

THE SEASON OF ADULTHOOD
The issue that you did not work out continues for years and years. In the 40?s women divorce their husbands because they got married out of high school and never found out who they really are and only did what other people wanted them to do. The fear of commitment of involvement also comes as a result of not knowing who you are. It is a natural life process to encounter these issues.

Success in the eyes of the world: by the time you are 40 people expect you to find your niche in life and you should have made your mark. If the world does not see what we are doing is important it is hard for us to believe we are important. Daniel Levinson the Seasons of Life: mid-life crisis in the male encounters the issue of success.

If you are happy with the direction you are going you will simply go through a transition. But if the man has an idea where he wanted to be and he is not, it becomes a crisis. He goes back to his individuality to discover what he really wants to do in life. He quits his job or divorces his wife. He rethinks his life.

Women in 40?s also have a time where they look at their lives and wonder where they should be. Career consultants help people to develop the ideas they have for themselves. How do you create a job that does not exist? Frenetic desperation causes ulcers. Insomnia, cynical, envious: all these repercussions come as a result of not resolving those issues.

Some people never do what they really wanted to do. A medical doctor who did 50 abortions per day wanted to become a writer but from 18 ?50 he justified his actions and compromised his integrity to do what he spent his life doing.

THE SEASON OF YOUNG ADULTS
Many young people at age 20 have not found their spiritual roots often come back to it later in life. People who grow up in a very materialistic house have great difficulty with this issue of spirituality. Some go to India or experiment with the occult. People change their religions. When there is not resistance the process of going through these issues can be smooth. If your religion cannot stand up to questioning it is no good anyway. The movement from materialism to spirituality is a difficult movement because there is resistance. If parents are very dogmatic about their religion they make it hard for their children to find their own spirituality. A lady whose husband died and she received insurance money bought a luxury car and complained that her money was running out.

THE SEASON OF OLD AGE
Rage from parents in nursing homes: ?You are three minutes late!? the sub-text is that they are ready to die and they have nothing to live for. Children stop visiting their parents because they are treated so badly when they visit them. Dylan Thomas says, ?Don?t go gentle into that dark night!? People who have not resolved spiritual issues in their lives go into that rage. People who resolve that issue enter a mellow acceptance and find a peace before they die. Extroverts find it hard to reconcile to the fact that they are no longer in demand. Those who resolve it earlier in life have gratitude and kindness.

A SUMMARY OF THE HUMAN PROCESS
Age Positive Negative Issue
3 Trust Mistrust neglect, abuse
4-11 Self-esteem Confidence depress/rebel
12-18 Individuality Conformity gangs/ pet/
Suicide/drugs
19-20 Intimacy Isolation couch potato/
30-50 Success Failure cynical/ulcers
Spirituality Materialism loose soul
50-70 Integrity Despair suicide/alcohol
Reconciliation Regrets isolation/sick
Near death Acceptance Range Ingratitude

GOD?S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOUR ENTIRE LIFE
The environment, your parents and teachers, your friendships and all your training have an influence in your life. But because God?s grace is