For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

It’s time once again for the seasons to begin to turn. The days are getting shorter, morning temperatures are getting chillier, pumpkin spice is turning up everywhere, and we anticipate the long awaited arrival of football!

Just as God created a pattern of natural seasons that we cycle through, He has given us a similar rhythm of seasons in our lives. These seasons come and go. Some at what appears to be at warp speed, some that tarry a bit longer than desired, and some like the seasons in West Texas appear to happen all in one day.

Fall is a season of gradual change. Out of nowhere we notice the trees that have carried green leaves all summer long begin to change colors. The trees sluggishly drop each leaf until they are left completely naked. Unless the tree is in West Texas and then it goes from being fully clothed to completely naked on one good windy day! The grass that has been a brilliant green for months has now drifted into a lackluster gold. Likewise, we gradually drift. We coast. And then we realize things have changed and left us completely exposed. We wake up and wonder, “How did I get to this place?”

Winter is a season that is harsh, cold, and bitter. It is a time we typically retreat indoors and isolate ourselves. It is a dark night of the soul where we feel as though God is absent. Yet, it is a time we draw near to God by putting our roots down deep in Him.  We cling in desperate times and He is there to reassure us and speak Words of hopeful promise of what is to come.

Spring is a time of new beginnings, fresh starts, promotions, babies, birthing new ministries, and new jobs and assignments.  It is a time of seeing small beginnings growing out of the cold winter months. It is a time of planting which requires work. The soil must be tilled, seeds must be sown, they must be watered and fertilized, and the weeds must be pulled from them. It is a season of fresh, catapulted faith to launch into the unknown.

Summer is an exciting time of harvesting the fruit from the seeds that were planted in the spring. It is a season of labor and delivery. It is a fulfilling time where we are fully launched in passion and carrying out the plans God has spoken to us.

Which season are you in? It might be one you enjoy. If so, savor it! Live it up! Get everything out of it that God has for you in it. It might be a season that is not as desirable. If so, savor it! Hold on! Anchor down! Get everything out of it that God wants you to get out of it. And remember, a new season is coming!

What is it that you are really good at? What do people know you for? When you are talked about in circles behind your back what is said about you? What will people remember about you at your funeral? Take some time to really think about that. Ask yourself, “What am I known for?”

In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes to the church and spells out what it is they are known for:

But as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all

earnestness, and in our love for you…  2 Corinthians 8:7

Paul commends the Christians at Corinth for their faith, their gifted speakers, their intellect, their passion, and their love. But then he says that he wants them to be known for this one additional act of grace:

…see that you excel in this act of grace also.  2 Corinthians 8:7

What was this act of grace? Not grace itself, although that is a good thing to be known for, but a particular act of grace. Well, we must look at the rest of the story:

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given

among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their

abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth

of generosity on their part.2 Corinthians 8:1-2

Paul wants the Christians at Corinth to be known for their generosity. He is telling them about the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea and their generosity, even in the midst of their poverty. And he wants the church at Corinth to be known for the same.

What about you? Are you known for your generosity? Do you excel at giving? When people talk about you do they talk about open-handed you are with your money, your time and your talent? Will others remember that about you when you’re gone?

If you want to be known as a generous person, the time to start is now! If you wait until your rich, you’ll never be generous. If you wait until you have more, you’ll never be charitable. If you wait until you get to where you want to be, you’ll never be known as a giving person. Giving starts where you are, not where you want to be. Generosity starts today!