Journeying Through the Seasons of Life

Ingrid Byrne

Description

“There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens”
-Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
This Scripture is one that I hold very close to my heart... it speaks to me of the cycle of life. In it, God underlines the inevitability of change. Nothing will stay the same – the good or the bad. Everything has ‘a season.’
Life is full of seasons: some last longer than others, some are more difficult than others, and some we miss.
Throughout this book, I will share with you some insights and reflections on the seasons that I have journeyed through, and that I have witnessed in those around me. Also, I will share spiritual enlightenment, Scripture readings, and information.
Through my words, I hope that God will pour out His blessings upon you and upon anyone with whom you share them.
I want to dedicate this book to my daughter Isabella without whose encouragement and foresight I would not have started writing. Also, to my husband Raymond for his constant loving support and wisdom-filled words.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Seasons
• Season
• Spirituality
• Religion
• Life

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse UK
• Date de parution: 10 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781728379739
• Langue: English

Extrait

Journeying Through the Seasons of Life
 
 
 
 
 
Ingrid Byrne
 
 
 
 

 
 
AuthorHouse™ UK
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403 USA
www.authorhouse.co.uk
Phone: UK TFN: 0800 0148641 (Toll Free inside the UK)               UK Local: (02) 0369 56322 ([phone] from outside the UK)
 
 
 
© 2023 Ingrid Byrne. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse 01/09/2023
 
ISBN: 978-1-7283-7972-2 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-7283-7974-6 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-7283-7973-9 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022924019
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible .
CONTENTS
Foreword
Preface
Chapter 1 - Life’s Difficulties
Chapter 2 - Be Happy
Chapter 3 - Three Little Words
Chapter 4 - In the Silence
Chapter 5 - Landing Rights
Chapter 6 - The Return
Chapter 7 - The Older Brother
Chapter 8 - Which Battle?
Chapter 9 - The Unseen Plank
Chapter 10 - You Are Needed
Chapter 11 - The Great Physician
Chapter 12 - The Precious Years of Youth
Chapter 13 - Encouragement
Chapter 14 - I Surrender All
Chapter 15 - The Poisonous Infection
Chapter 16 - Inner Peace
Chapter 17 - The Belt
Chapter 18 - The Unwrapped Gift
Chapter 19 - The Blind Spot
Chapter 20 - When My Day Comes
Chapter 21 - The Value of Love
Chapter 22 - The Personal Trial
Chapter 23 - The Question
Chapter 24 - Memories
Chapter 25 - Who Is Your Master?
Chapter 26 - The Opening and Closing of Doors
Chapter 27 - Bridging the Gap
Chapter 28 - When Autumn Leaves Start to Fall
Chapter 29 - Raindrops
Chapter 30 - In the Living Years
Chapter 31 - Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea
Chapter 32 - All that Glitters is Not Gold
Chapter 33 - Living in a Martha’s World
Chapter 34 - When Two Become One
Chapter 35 - The Unnoticed Messenger
Chapter 36 - The Lonely Heart
Chapter 37 - The Gentle Knock
Chapter 38 - Ambitions, Hopes and Dreams
Chapter 39 - When the Light Grows Dim
Chapter 40 - The Rear View Mirror
Chapter 41 - A Lethal Weapon
Chapter 42 - The Old Rugged Cross
Chapter 43 - God’s Special Craftsmanship
Chapter 44 - When the Going Gets Tough
Chapter 45 - The Leaking Vessel
Chapter 46 - A Listening Ear
Chapter 47 - Tug of War
Chapter 48 - The Big Clear Out
Chapter 49 - The Death of Trust
Chapter 50 - The Proud Peacock
Chapter 51 - A Time of Growth
Chapter 52 - The Hidden Tears of Parenthood
Chapter 53 - When All is Said and Done
Chapter 54 - When Discouragement Arrives
Chapter 55 - The Meeting Place
Chapter 56 - The Menace of Worry
Chapter 57 - When God Raises You Up
Bibliography
FOREWORD
Ingrid Byrne is a woman who is clearly comfortable in her own skin. She is a wife, mother, and health professional. But above all else she is a prayerful and faithful disciple of Jesus. As such she tends to view and understand the events of everyday life in the light of her intimate relationship with the Lord and her insightful reading of his word in the sacred scriptures.
It is clear from what she says that Ingrid’s prayer life has matured and deepened as the years have passed by, in such a way, that, not only does she talk to God about her daily concerns, she has also learned to listen to the inspirations and revelations of the Lord. Clearly, she has been influenced by what is said in Prov 4:20-22, “My child, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.” Like Mary before her, Ingrid has pondered many a word of God in her heart and shares the outcome with her readers.
St Teresa of Avila once said that “God walks among the pots and pans.” Ingrid’s reflections about ordinary, everyday experiences bear witness to the fact that God is the Beyond in the midst of our everyday lives. Protestant theologian Karl Barth once wrote, in like manner, that we should, “preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.” While Ingrid, does not preach in these pages, she enables her readers, by means of the personal honesty of her sharing, to view, evaluate, and interpret everyday events, from a Christian point of view.
I really like this book. It is personal, down to earth, well written and insightful. I am confident that those who read it will not only enjoy these, pithy, insightful Christian reflections, they will find, that they will provide a template for their own prayerful reflections. In his essay “Of Studies,” Francis Bacon wrote, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” I would suggest that Journeying Through the Seasons of Life , is rich fare and well worth consuming and digesting.
Pat Collins C.M., MA, STL.
PREFACE
“There is a time for everything and a s eason for every activity under the h ea vens”
-Ecclesiaste s 3:1 (NIV)
This Scripture is one that I hold very close to my heart... it speaks to me of the cycle of life. In it, God underlines the inevitability of change. Nothing will stay the same – the good or the bad. Everything has ‘a season.’
Life is full of seasons: some last longer than others, some are more difficult than others, and some we miss.
Throughout this book, I will share with you some insights and reflections on the seasons that I have journeyed through, and that I have witnessed in those around me. Also, I will share spiritual enlightenment, Scripture readings, and information.
Through my words, I hope that God will pour out His blessings upon you and upon anyone with whom you share them.
I want to dedicate this book to my daughter Isabella without whose encouragement and foresight I would not have started writing. Also, to my husband Raymond for his constant loving support and wisdom-filled words.
Life’s Difficulties
When people encounter life’s difficulties, they usually turn to God to implore His help and assistance. Sometimes, their countless prayers appear to be unanswered. This can be a disheartening time, during which they feel that God does not hear them, or alternatively, that He does not want to answer their prayers.
I was one of those people. After years and years of praying and asking God to answer a desired petition prayer, I increasingly became disheartened. Despite countless prayers, attending novenas, and making visits to every named holy place, I felt that any prayers that I had offered to God appeared to be unanswered. I was experiencing the same sentiments as Jesus when He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)-NIV.
However, during those years of many prayers, my relationship with God deepened and I discovered that the emphasis on my prayer being answered became less important. Why? Because during this time God was healing, strengthening, restoring me, and filling me with all the goodness of being a friend of Jesus. God began to increasingly reveal His will to me, and I began to realise that what I was praying for was not in accordance with the plan He had for me.
So, God began to bless me with the grace of acceptance.
When this occurred, I was then free to turn my attention to what was His will for my life. It was at that stage that I excelled in living the life that Jesus had chosen especially for me, and for no one else.
When I hear the lyrics of a particular song by Garth Brooks, it makes me smile. You might know and have heard them before…
“Sometimes I thank God for unanswer ed pra yers.
Remember when you’re talking to the man upst airs.
That just because He may not answer, doesn’t mean He don’t care.
Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered pra yers…”
Remember, God always hears our prayers, and He will answer them in a way that He knows best. It may not be our way, but it is the best way!
“I will meditate on your prec epts
and consider your ways.” (Psalm 119 :15) -NIV
Be Happy
Whilst most of us encounter difficulties in our lives, we also have many joys. Despite these joys, we can often focus on life’s negativities. As Christians, we are called to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)-NIV.
God blesses us many times during our daily lives, but we often miss these blessings. Many of us assume that when God presents Himself in our lives, it will be in a wondrous and powerful way. Sometimes this is the ca