“Seasons of Dormancy”

Do you ever read something and find that a phrase just jumps out at you and demands your attention? That happened to me yesterday. The phrase, “seasons of dormancy” resonated strongly with me. Here’s why.

Nearly two years ago, Gerald and I moved clear across the continent, literally from the Atlantic Ocean shores to the Pacific Ocean coast. It was a monumental move, made all the more interesting by our two cats and dog, but we did it!

I left behind a very busy life. I enjoyed lots of interesting commitments in my community, from playing my Native American flutes in the Palliative Care Unit to acting as a supply lay minister for the local churches to being part of several musical groups. My days were filled with things to do, places to go, people to see.

I guess I thought I’d duplicate that life here once we got settled in. But, that hasn’t been the case. Things are very different here. I’m not in a small pond anymore, but in a very big pond where I am a very small frog.

I feel like I haven’t “found myself”, and I keep asking the Lord to show me the Path that I’m meant to follow, but nothing has really opened up for me. I’ve felt frustrated, home-sick for my old life, impatient with God, worried that this is all that there will be.

And, then, yesterday – “seasons of dormancy”.

Of course! Just as all land must lay fallow part of the year in order to produce the next year’s crop, we, too, must have seasons of dormancy.

That’s where I am right now, and I’m happy to report that green shoots are beginning to appear – little hints of what the Lord has in store for me – like this blog.

Here’s something to ponder:could it be that a season of dormancy is just another kind of quiet space? Perhaps instead of fussing about not moving forward, we can allow ourselves to relax and simply “BE”. To rest. To dream. To allow God to work in us until we reach that place where we are ready for the next stage of our Journey.