Pastor Jeremiah Zeigler | 2-15-2026
Life comes at us in seasons, and God has designed us to live fully present in each one. Yet we often find ourselves running from a past we can’t change toward a future we can’t control, missing the beauty and purpose of our current season.
What Does It Mean to Live in Seasons?
King Solomon, described as the wisest man to ever walk the earth outside of Jesus, wrote in Ecclesiastes 3 about the rhythm of life’s seasons. He reminds us that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” There’s a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to harvest, a time to weep and a time to laugh.
Solomon’s message is clear: life comes at us in seasons, and God calls us to be present people who embrace each season rather than escape from it.
Why Being Present Matters
A Present Life is a Powerful Life
The world around us desperately needs us to be present, not absent. Our children need us present. Our spouses need us present. The broken barista serving our coffee needs us present enough to share hope. When we’re truly present, we become available for God to work through us in ways we never expected.
Jesus exemplified this perfectly. He was the most present person to ever walk the earth, making a difference everywhere he went. Even when traveling to heal Jairus’s daughter, he was so present that he noticed one woman’s touch of faith in a crowded street.
The Present Touches Eternity
As C.S. Lewis said, “The present is the point at which time touches eternity.” Solomon reminds us that God has “put eternity into man’s heart” – our current season isn’t divorced from eternal things. Every season, good or bad, is connected to God’s eternal purposes.
What Keeps Us From Being Present?
We live in a world that has taught us to escape rather than embrace our seasons. The average adult spends seven hours daily looking at screens, and 89% check their phones within 10 minutes of waking up. We’ve become experts at avoiding the very moments God wants to use for our growth and His glory.
Four Pests of the Present
There are four main “pests” that rob us of our present power:
1. The Painful Past
Past hurts, abuse, failures, or shame can dominate our thoughts and keep us from engaging with our current reality. While healing is a process, we must remember that we are not our past. Isaiah 43 reminds us: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing.”
2. The Painted Past
These are the “good old days” we’ve romanticized in our memory. Like the Israelites who complained about leaving Egypt, forgetting their slavery while remembering only the food, we can become trapped by an idealized version of the past that prevents us from embracing what God is doing now.
3. The Fearful Future
Anxiety about uncertainty and trying to control outcomes in our own strength robs us of present peace. Jesus taught us not to be anxious about tomorrow, reminding us that our heavenly Father knows what we need and will provide when we seek His kingdom first.
4. The Fixed Future
Even good goals and dreams can become pests when we’re unwilling to surrender them to God’s better plan. Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
How Do We Seize Our Season?
Identify Your Season
Take an honest look at where you are right now. Are you in a season of singleness, parenting young children, career building, or retirement? Each season has its own challenges and opportunities.
Believe in Its Beauty
Solomon declared that God “has made everything beautiful in its time.” Even difficult seasons have purpose and beauty when viewed through God’s eternal perspective. Your current pain can be assigned purpose when you trust God’s timing.
Seize the Season
Stop wishing you were in someone else’s season or waiting for circumstances to change. Embrace the responsibilities and opportunities God has placed before you right now. Like preparing for a hurricane, heed the warning signs of your season and take action while you can.
Life Application
This week, commit to being fully present in your current season. Instead of escaping through screens, distractions, or daydreaming about the past or future, lean into what God has for you right now.
Questions for Reflection:
- Which of the four “pests” most often steals your present focus?
- What specific responsibilities or opportunities in your current season have you been avoiding or postponing?
- How might God want to use your current circumstances – even the difficult ones – for His glory and your growth?
- What would it look like to assign purpose to your current pain or challenges?
Remember, every season has a start date and an end date. The question isn’t whether your season will change, but whether you’ll embrace the beauty and purpose God has for you in this moment. Don’t miss the miracle He wants to work through your present circumstances.