Savoring each season is the key to enjoying life
"To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven."
- Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
Chicago is known for hot dogs and baseball.
Living in the Northern suburbs, the arrival of baseball season each year brings back memories, when baseball was a special season in my household.
Each Monday through Friday, the daily routine of getting all three of my sons ready for either a baseball game or practice session began right after school at 4 p.m. My husband worked second shift so getting everyone where they needed to go was up to me.
Before leaving the house, I went through the routine of checking to make sure that everyone had a clean uniform and all their baseball garb was available - socks, hat, and mitt.
Then I watched each enthusiastic player jump into the car as I strategically planned who to drop off first.
Once everyone was busy playing ball, I made my rounds back and forth between fields A, B, and oftentimes C, at the baseball complex to receive a glimpse of each son's game. I got plenty of exercise as I ran to and fro to catch an inning or two and to see the score.
For each home run the players made they received a free hot dog. Occasionally, I was blessed to watch my son, whose nickname was "Hot Dog," hit a home run. Many nights brought hot dogs for each one of us after the game, compliments of my son.
Rain, shine or blazing heat, baseball season carried on. It started to feel like a dreadful, hectic season in my life, and yet, it is among some of my fondest memories.
The writer of Ecclesiastes expresses to us that there is a right time and season for everything. God wants us to learn to recognize where he would have us be for that particular place and time.
However, many times we want to do things out of those seasons, by either moving ahead to the next thing or hanging on to the last.
We allow the ungodly spirit of dread to take over and kill our joy as we become frustrated and struggle with our life.
Learning to recognize that spirit can help us combat it with a new train of thought. Flowing with God's time and his ways makes life easier because we walk in agreement with him.
When we learn how to enjoy where we are on the way to where we're going, it brings peace and joy. Then we can enjoy life the way God intended.
•Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. Join Annettee at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at Panera Bread, 555 E. Rollins Road, Round Lake Beach. Registration is preferred due to limited seating. Contact Annettee at Annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.