Our project was progressing very well, but lately, it seems that our efforts are no longer bearing fruit. We can try to find the reason, but perhaps it’s just a forced rest, a healthy little break.
Quebecers know winter well. It’s a very cold season when nature seems lifeless. The trees remain upright, their roots in the snow, but without their leaves, they look dead. There is no fruit in winter. However, there is still life in these trees. The roots continue to extend to look for nutrients and water. The cells of the tree begin to produce a kind of antifreeze to protect future buds. New “veins” are created to allow the sap to rise in the spring. In short, just because there is no fruit does not mean there is no life.
A lesson that we must also recognize in our lives. If our efforts no longer seem to bear fruit, it does not mean that we should give up everything. We may just be in a season of rest where we are called to work more on ourselves in preparation for spring.
If your Bible reading time is no longer as captivating, perhaps it is time to meditate more on passages that have touched you in the past. Go study more deeply the verses that you receive on Sunday morning instead of stubbornly continuing with your daily reading plan.
If your prayer routine is becoming monotonous, it may be because you need to change a little. Perhaps it is time to put aside your prayer list and take more time in praise, worship, or listening to Him. There is a time to intercede, and there is a time to contemplate God.
Singles, if you no longer feel like going on dates. If you find repulsive flaws in all the suitors you meet, this does not mean that you should give up on the idea of getting married. It may simply be because you need to take a break from your search, and you need to take care of yourself.
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV) Even God didn’t produce every day, He rested on the seventh day (Hebrews 4:10). It’s good to think about why our projects aren’t moving forward, maybe it’s necessary to make some adjustments. But maybe not. We certainly shouldn’t devalue ourselves if we’re not seeing fruit in our lives right now. Maybe it’s just time to slow down and protect our hearts. Time to spread our roots and protect our hearts. Time to develop our wisdom to find a better approach. Time to stop and sharpen our iron so that our efforts can be more effective (Ecclesiastes 10:10).
Don’t be discouraged if you feel like you’re slowing down. You may just be in a season of rest. Enjoy this break, use it to strengthen your relationship with God and to develop your wisdom. God created all the seasons for a reason. “You have set all the borders of the earth; you have made summer and winter ” (Psalm 74:17 NKJV). There will be a spring. There always is a spring.