By Megan Blansit

Director of The Beautiful Movement - a youth ministry for high school girls. For more information, visit The Beautiful Movement’s Facebook page, where I post the time, place, and activity for each month

Hi friends! A new season is vastly approaching and if you are a female, I assume you are bouncing off-the-wall excited for boots, scarfs, and pumpkin flavored lattes (I know I am!) Males, I also assume you are excited about football, bonfires, and hunting. The leaves are about to begin changing and then before you know it, BOOM, the holidays are here. The seasons seem to be going by faster and faster each year; It seems like just yesterday I was pinning bathing suits and workout routines on Pinterest.

Not every second of every season is exciting and full of life. For example, fall is beautiful but then once the leaves change colors and the leaves die off, the trees look bare and empty. The scenery went from fab to drab… real fast! As I ponder on how quick the seasons change I am quickly reminded how constant the love of Christ is. I am so thankful to serve a God who doesn’t change from day to day or season to season. His word confirms his commitment, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever,” Hebrews 13:8. That’s enough to shout about, friend!

When I think about God’s love being constant, despite the season we are going through in our lives, or when we want Jesus and when we don’t, my mind goes to the woman at the well. The Bible never mentions her name, and I believe it is because the Lord respects her privacy. She went to the well at a time no one else would go (noon.) I mean, who likes being outside during the hottest part of the day?! Perhaps she went during this time because she did not want to see anyone. In John 4:9, the Samaritan woman is confused to why a jew is even talking to her (they are not suppose to associate with each other) and two, she is curious to why someone would be at a well without a bucket (verse 11.) Keep in mind she also does not know that it is Jesus who she is talking to. Next, Jesus tells her that He has better water to give her. Verse 13 says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst…” Turns out, Jesus wasn’t taking a water break! He was sitting there WAITING FOR HER; He had something He wanted to give her! How powerful is that? Jesus had a purpose: to pursue her.

Let me relate this to present day, maybe someone reading this is trying everything possible to fill their “bucket” of happiness but the results just aren’t successful, leaving you feeling empty inside. It is as if the Lord is sitting there waiting on each of us to quit trying to pursue other things that bring temporary happiness, and just pursue Him. He supplies joy, peace, love, hope and a future. Despite anything we’ve done, just like The Samaritan woman who had been with multiple men, He still loves! Nothing we’ve done can separate us from the love of Christ. Despite her sin, he wanted her and deemed her as someone worth waiting for. There has been times in my own life where I’ve felt forgotten or alone and then I realize Jesus never left me, I chose to leave him. Just like the woman at the well, Jesus is pursuing us. I pray that you would fill up on Jesus’ love for you today! Please, don’t keep Him waiting. There is no reason for any of us to walk around feeling empty today. Turn on a worship song, pray to him, dig into His word… He wants you, friend. In closing, just like the woman at the well, He is waiting for you. Jesus knows the season you are in right now, whether its good or bad, and He is saying, “Come to me, I’ve got what you need.”

This weeks challenge: Friends, you don’t know what season the person next to you is in; It could be good or bad. I think it is safe to say that if you are human, life can get chaotic. Work can be stressful, the kids may be out of hand, the weight of school stress can be overbearing, and the list can go on and on…and on! But, I want to challenge you, despite the season you are in, to be constant with your love towards others (just like Christ.) I will take it a step further and challenge you, friends, to buy someones meal behind you in line at McDonalds or your fast food restaurant of choice. I am confident that its little acts of kindness that can mean the world to someone. You may hold the key to someones new season of joy! I’ve quickly found that doing small acts of kindness fills my own “bucket” of happiness as well. Please join with me in striving to love others just as Christ has loved us.

As always, thank you for reading. I will see you next week.