‍11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (New International Version)

Have you ever looked at a recently pruned tree and thought to yourself 'my word that is ugly'. Yet the same tree when glanced at some months later in full bloom can take your breath away! Life is lived in definite seasons. We tend to love the Summer seasons of life - fun, warm temperatures, outings with friends, BBQ's, etc. Conversely we also tend to dislike the winter seasons - cold, lack of that warm feeling, brisk, the UGLY seasons of our lives. Yet in an amazingly profound way - it is the winter type seasons when God often does His deepest work.

Philippians 2:13 (New King James Version)13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.‍

What is God doing in these seasons that seem unpleasant on the surface? He is moulding our desire to do his will. When we align our 'motivation centre' with God's plans and purposes, all of Heaven gets behind us and we discover a new momentum that we have not experienced before. How can we make these winter seasons profitable for God's purposes? By taking on the same attitude to the dealings of God that our Lord Jesus Christ did.

Hebrews 10:7 (New King James Version) 7 Then I said, 'Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.'

Jesus taught us in prayer to pray "Your Kingdom come, your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven". Jesus modelled a life of choosing God's will in the midst of changing seasons and some difficult challenges.

I am challenged to learn the lesson of not bucking and kicking when I enter a challenging season in my life. Why? Because I have come to understand through many different seasons in my own ministry life that the SUMMER SEASONS will arrive and many of them have God's splendour and glory attached when I have allowed the potter to shape the clay on His potter's wheel! As ugly as you may feel with all that is going on in your life that right now may not be that enjoyable, God is working a higher purpose and preparing you for a new season of blessing.

The end product is "He makes everything BEAUTIFUL in His time!" I am personally feeling I'm about to walk into a new season of incredible blessing. I believe this season is going to be foundational in setting the scene for the most fruitful season of ministry that Viv and I have ever walked into before. Let me tell you - the Potter has been working overtime in behind the scenes. Thankyou Jesus!