Seasons of Life and Ministry By Dr. Brian Simmons

I am grateful for the gift of this life.

I share my life with my wife, Bonnie, on Lake Murray in beautiful South Carolina. It is October 17, and until today the weather has generally been in the 90s during the day with bright blue Carolina skies. Bonnie and I have been married for 45 years and have four children (all married) and 16 grandchildren.

Today, however, we woke up to cloudy skies, and the temperature had dropped into the 50s! I enjoy the changing seasons, and Fall is a beautiful time of year!

Seasons Change

We know seasons change, and with those changes come endings and new beginnings. There is sunshine, clouds, and an occasional storm. The same is true in life.

As I look back over my 45 years in Christian education, I have experienced the changing seasons of a long and rewarding professional career. I have led five Christian schools, including the brand-new school I have founded with h my son. In my life, I have served on numerous boards, served as president of a Christian nonprofit, consultant, executive coach, professor, and vice president at two different Christian universities.

As I have experienced changes through the years and decades, one thing has remained constant: The Lord’s loving faithfulness endures to all generations! He is the Creator and my Master. I am His steward. He lives in the realm of rights as owner of all. I live in the realm of responsibility; I am to daily yield my will to His and seek to fulfill His purposes faithfully! This gives my life meaning and purpose.

And this story has a wonderful corollary! 

The Lord’s Plans Prevail

Some of my most difficult seasons of life and ministry occurred during times of change and transition. I can think back to people who let me down. But without change, the status quo prevails, and instead of moving forward, we can get stuck in life’s ruts. God’s prevailing plan often includes seasons with their corresponding storms and transitions.

They say hindsight is 20/20. “Hindsight is 20” means it is much easier to understand a situation, recognize a mistake, or see what wonderful outcomes grew from what, at the time, were painful experiences when you look back, rather than trying to sort things out as seasons of life unfold in real time. This is why reflection is such a powerful leadership habit.

My Experiences

Looking back at my time as head of school, my children received a strong foundation for their lives by attending and graduating from the Christian schools and universities I helped lead! 

In Colorado, we added a daughter-in-law and son-in-law to our family, and by moving to Columbia, SC, God, in His grace, allowed Bonnie and me to fulfill a lifetime dream of living on a lake! And the bonus is that God surrounded us with grandchildren who love to tube, ski, fish, and swim! The list of God’s blessings goes on and on, so all I will say is praise Him! His ways are best!

Another experience in my seasons of life is that, on occasion, those I trusted let me down. My takeaway from this reflection is that the Lord is my rock and my salvation! He never let me down! In fact, His overarching good, perfect, and pleasing plan included the times of storms as well as times of sunshine in my life.

My Truth

I need to be sure that my feet are firmly planted on the rock every day as I spend time with the Lord every morning and pray throughout each day. The only person who can trip up God’s plan for my life is me! 

When the Bible says th “the loving faithfulness of the Lord endures forever it means that God’s love, goodness, mercy, and commitment to His people never run out, never expire, and never depend entirely on our circumstances or performance.

This is a profound statement about God’s character and the security we can find in Him. We can trust Him to walk with us through the seasons of our lives as we yield our wills to His! This is the best possible life, and it comes with eternal rewards!

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.”

Psalm 136:1

Dr. Brian S. Simmons is a consultant on effective governance and strategic planning, an executive coach, and the founding Head of School for Lakeside Christian Academy. He is a visionary builder who advances the kingdom of God through Christian education, teaching, and influence.

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