Barbie Loflin

Drenched Devotions

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The founder of Poured Out Ministries, Barbie serves as Executive Pastor at Springhouse Church, a thriving, multicultural body of believers just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. A published author and composer, she has been married to her husband, Hal, for almost 40 years. Her adult children, Aaron, Matthew, and Kayti, have blessed her with two wonderful daughters-in-law, Kate and Rachel, and one amazing son-in-law, Dustin. Between the three, she has been given the great joy of becoming “Nana” to ten “perfect and brilliant” grandchildren. You will find much of their influence within the stories in this blog.

In This Season

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

I have been doing some thinking this week.I know, it’s enough to make your head hurt, but I just could not help myself..I was reading a small, insignificant little book and one of the lines in the book planted a hook deep within my spirit.It simply said, “For most of human history life was measured and lived by season, not time.”

When I read it I had a flash of one of my husband’s westerns… one Indian explaining to the other “my son has seen 12 summers…”A life being recorded by season. It seems a little strange given our obsession with seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, time frames and deadlines, but it was a very accurate measure of one’s life.I cannot explain it, but something inside of me quickened when I thought about this concept, for something deep within all of us battles the swift passage of time.We race against it, try to find ways to turn it back, and continually complain that we do not know where it all went.Ah, but if life is measured in seasons, not in seconds, now that is a different story. Seasons give you a much broader picture.

I have decided that when I look in the mirror, I will see the beautiful passing of seasons etched upon my face.I will not abhor time and its ravages, but will embrace the transformation and progression of my seasons.While I may look back and see time that has been wasted, lamenting its loss, I will not scorn my seasons, for my seasons have been immersed in tranquil waters and blazing fires.My seasons have surrounded me, carrying me into laughter, tears, empathy, excruciating clarity and simple faith.Time has not marked my course, but my seasons have.There are childish seasons, coming of age seasons, pain-filled seasons, and seasons of laughter, seasons of serenity, seasons of turmoil, seasons of aloneness, seasons of hospitality, seasons of stagnation and seasons of abounding growth.

So many seasons…so little time (no pun intended).

Today, I am going to focus on my season.I want to really be aware of where I am and what God is doing.I have determined that I will not mourn for seasons past, but will fully live in the season God has moved me into.I will not cling to the ideas, positions, tasks, articles, possessions, and even ministries of seasons gone by, but will open my hands and release them as God says move forward.(Somehow that is much easier to do when you no longer enjoy the season you are in.) The problem comes when God says you are entering a new season and you were very comfortable in your old one.

So, what do you do when it hurts to leave another season?You do it anyway.Heart bleeding, tears falling, you bruise your knees one more time and press your face into His chest as you give Him your yes.

Another season etches its way upon your countenance, and your fingers relax their grip as your feet find His rhythm.Green grass gives way to crunchy, colorful leaves, and the warm summer breeze takes on autumn’s crisp fragrance.The colors become more vibrant, there is an extravagant appreciation for what was always there, but somehow escaped your notice, and you walk face-first into your most beautiful season…

Until the next one comes along.

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