Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
October 24, 2022
This Week's Anchor
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”
James 5:7-8 (NIV)
Our family moved into a new home about a year ago, and after several months of landscaping work on our yard, the long process finally came to an end with the seeding of new grass. At this point, my husband is quite obsessed with the fate of our yard’s grass growth to the extent that even I’ve become intrigued by its process. Curiously, I discovered an interesting and inspiring fact about the green stuff we often take for granted. All these years, I thought the life cycle of grass was quite simple: it grew in the Spring/Summer, and as evidenced by turning brown, died in the Fall/Winter. However, in my rabbit hole of a Google search mission to understand grass, I learned that grass has a mechanism called dormancy where it enters a suspended state of its life cycle in which it “focuses solely on conserving water, nutrients, and energy for survival” [1]. In some ways, like the hibernation of animals, grass sleeps during the colder months which it would otherwise not survive. And although it appears dead, the grass crowns (the base of the grass plant) stay alive. I don’t know about you, but I caught a Word in the unsuspecting metaphor of grass because the ebbs and flows of our spiritually founded lives at times look and feel a lot like the life cycle of grass.
Have you ever found yourself in a dormant season? Let’s be honest, for many of us, seasons of pause are rarely welcomed. Most of us thrive off booked and busy, and we derive value from the achievement-oriented hustle and grind culture. However, welcomed or not, God sometimes puts our lives on pause to preserve our minds and bodies, protect our spirits, and recharge our purpose. Our anchor scripture this week reminds us of the patience and trust we need in God in moments when we are waiting for yielding seasons. It’s not that you wait, because frankly, we are all forced to wait in life. Instead, it’s how you wait. When God slows our lives down, do we meet it grudgingly or do we invite it in like a good friend who knows what’s best for us? I know it can be challenging because many of us are socialized in a culture of comparison and competition that leaves us feeling uncertain and insecure when our lives aren’t moving as fast as others. And yet, I encourage us that powerful and purposeful things happen when our lives are put on pause.
It's often a fleshly misconception that life pauses reflect God removing and taking away things that we desire or that lead us to our desires. However, the opposite is true. Our dormant life seasons have more to offer us than we expect if we’d just shift our perspective.
What our Dormant Seasons Provide Us:
Necessary respite and the ability to be more present— Life pauses usually help us prioritize our lives. When we pause, we can connect with ourselves and others. Being more present with ourselves translates to understanding and transforming ourselves.
Rest and self-care—When we are busy, we usually neglect ourselves. Therefore, God often issues these pauses in our lives to call us back to our mind-body-spirits. In these still moments, we are able to nourish and restore our bodily temples.
Conservation, preservation, and endurance—This race is not given to the swift, but to those who endure. The greater war requires us to sustain through many life experiences, seasons, and battles. We can’t endure life going full throttle 24/7 365, year after year. Rest is not a divergence from the process, it’s a necessary and crucial part of the process.
Deeper connection with the Holy Trinity—When we slow down, we invite God’s presence and wisdom. We see glimpses of His provision in our lives, and we receive spiritual clarity.
Stronger foundation of faith and sense of purpose—By connecting with ourselves and the Holy Trinity, we feel more affirmed in our purpose and have a deeper sense of meaning in our lives. Life feels just a bit more livable, and we feel like we and our lives matter. The more we pause and trust God amid our pauses, the greater and deeper we trust God overall.
As we enter this week, let us welcome every intermission, brief or long. May we trust that God knows what is best for us. May we reap the beauty and the benefits of having our lives paused. And may we welcome, embrace, and appreciate the dormant seasons in our lives for how they ground us in what matters.
Reflection
What is resonating for you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
What do you need from yourself and from the Holy Trinity to help you sustain through dormant seasons?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through this Week
Psalm 27:13-14
Psalm 46:10
Proverbs 3:5-6
Isaiah 40:30-31
Lamentations 3:25-26
2 Peter 3:9
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment
is the only one you know you have for sure.”
Oprah Winfrey
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