Saturday Seasons

Saturday: the day in-between. The day between the pain and sorrow and the spoken word and promise of God coming to fulfillment. I can’t help but wonder what Saturday was like on that day…2014 years ago. Imagine Mary, the mother of Jesus. Imagine his brothers. Imagine his disciples. Just imagine. They were overcome with sorrow, with pain, with hurt. The man they had devoted their life to was gone...their savior.  His death was on display right before their eyes. Their pain was real. It was raw. The grieving was beyond what they had ever experienced in their lives. Despite these things, they had one thing. One ray of hope. They had a word that he would rise again…a promise straight from his mouth that he would live. How hard do you think it was to really believe that? They had nothing to hold on to but His word. How hard do you think it was for them to really grab hold of that word? Did they sit and wonder in disbelief that He would really rise again the following day? Were they feeling defeated? Were they so overcome with grief that not even a flicker of hope could break through to their heart? I can’t help but wonder. They had no hard evidence that He was really going to come again. A word. A word from His mouth is all they had. Is a word enough? Is a word enough to press on? Is a word from Him enough to stand firm in faith believing what He has said is coming? Is a word from him enough for hope to remain as an anchor to our soul? Is a word enough….I can’t help but wonder. I look deep into my own heart. My own life. I’ve had many “Saturday Seasons.” Some more painful than others.  It’s the day I have to dig deep and really trust if I’m going to believe His word. It’s the day I can look at the hard facts in the face and decide if I will believe the truth over the facts. It’s the day where mourning and pain are evident but will I see a promise that is greater? It is the day that I rise above my emotions and grab hold of his promise. There have been moments where grief was overwhelming and loss was great. Would I make it out of this alive…was there really going to be LIFE out of this mess? My heart was heavy, it was broken to the core. Would I believe the word he gave me? He spoke this word to my heart and confirmed it in many other ways: “Do not be weary in doing good. For you will reap a harvest if you do not give up.” There have been moments where even the mere thought of a “harvest” was so far off I couldn’t even imagine it. Sometimes there is no evidence of breakthrough in our field of vision. We can’t see it. Our circumstances sure don’t show it. Our emotions convince us it will never happen. I’ve been there. What sustains us in those moments? His word sustains. His hope gives life. There are times where life just sucks. Plain and simple. But the words he has spoken, whether it be through a friend, a prophetic word, a quiet time, His written world…they are a life line to us in those moments. Grab hold of them. Let it anchor you in those “Saturday Seasons.” There will come a day where you DO have your breakthrough. A day where you do see the bigger picture. A day where you feel healed…you feel whole, but  sometimes the Saturday is necessary to see the promise brought to life. The death was necessary to have a resurrection. Saturday was a day of waiting, hoping, praying, TRUSTING, that there would be life again and that what He said was true. It is a day that my character has been built and my faith has been strengthened. The only lifeline I’ve had in those moments was the word he spoke that He WOULD. It’s the day I chose to grab hold of that word and white knuckle it until I see His promise full circle. There have been season where pain was felt, hurt was real and it seemed as though dreams, hopes, desires, and even parts of my identity were dead. I see it differently now. This day inbetween…it’s stirring in my heart. Some of these things have seen their breakthrough…life has sprung…and some are simply in a “Saturday Season.” They aren’t dead. They are just in the ‘inbetween.” I’m going back to his promises. Digging up the words He has spoken over the years and hiding them in my heart til I see those promises full circle. I know the best is yet to come. His promises are true. His redemption is sweet. Life is a sweet mirror of this thing we call Easter. I couldn’t be more thankful that HE LIVES and CHOSE to die for me. It brings me a hope. Jesus loves me, this I KNOW.