There are times in life when everything feels parched and lifeless. As autumn’s vibrant leaves fall, the landscape returns to desolation—bare branches stretch against gray skies, and fields lie quiet after the harvest. The quiet unease mirrors our heart’s fears in seasons of loss. This stark beauty mirrors these seasons of life, accentuating death, pain, and long dark nights. A sense of foreboding whispers through the rustling branches, hinting at winter’s approach. This somber shift can echo the heart’s apprehension about an uncertain future.
This week marked six years the love of my life is living in Heaven. I never cared much for this season of the year. Now this deep loss adds a new reason to want to wish it away. What I’m learning is, this is impossible to navigate in my own strength, or even through sheer willpower. It’s the same with the season of grief we face after our husband is gone. We don’t like the way we feel and the pain we are going through. We don’t like the vast changes our life is forced to make because the life we had with our husband is permanently gone. Even many years later, for me it’s six, we may be still working to find a new life we can fully embrace and accept as ours. As memories and realities collide, I’m blessed to have God meet me in my grief with His presence.
Life’s seasons—joyful springs, scorching summers, autumns surrendering what’s depleted, or barren winters—may not offer ideal circumstances. Grief, loneliness, or financial worries can feel like relentless droughts, threatening to wither the widow’s spirit. The worst seasons seem like they’ll never end. I believe God gives us what we need for each season, and surprisingly, I’m learning God will even allow us to bear fruit even the difficult seasons.
The prophet Jeremiah assures us when we choose to trust in God, our Abba, He anchors us like a tree by living waters, and we can bear fruit in every season. This trust isn’t a fleeting feeling but a steadfast choice to rely on God’s richly layered nature—His provision, nearness, and strength. When we link with God, we bear fruit— faith, patience, gentleness of heart, or perhaps a strength from God we haven’t experienced before— each a testament to His renewing work in us.
But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God. They’re like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers—never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, thriving in the worst of times, bearing fruit in every season.
Jeremiah 17: 7-8 The Message
Life is full of seasons! We might not know when our season is going to change, but change is inevitable in this life. The good thing about this is, even the tough seasons will eventually change.
Fall is a season of vibrant transformation, where the essence of harvest and transition reveals God’s renewing work. The earth bursts with abundance—golden corn, ripe apples, and pumpkins—celebrating the fruit of summer’s labor. Leaves turn brilliant shades of red and gold, then fall, signaling a shift toward rest and renewal. This duality mirrors God’s heart for you, His beloved child, as He weaves a story of hope.
The harvest reflects God’s provision, as He reveals Himself as Jehovah Jireh, sustaining you like a tree by the river, bearing fruit in every season. Transition, marked by falling leaves, invites you to release worries, trusting Father God to renew your purpose. Just as fall prepares the earth for new growth, God is revealing His profoundly woven strategy, giving you assurance to thrive amid grief’s changes and the challenges we encounter as we grow and evolve without our husband by our side. This season brings change, yet God’s faithfulness remains constant. As a widow, this promise is a lifeline, leading to harvest and hope. It’s a promise and an invitation to each of us on our spiritual journey.
The Secret is Abiding in God
What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways! He won’t walk in step with the wicked, nor share the sinner’s way, nor be found sitting in the scorner’s seat.
His passion is to remain true to the Word of “I AM,” meditating day and night on the true revelation of light.
He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree planted by God’s design, deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss, bearing fruit in every season of life. He is never dry, never fainting, ever blessed, ever prosperous.
Psalm 1: 1-3 TPT
Well-watered hearts bear fruit in every season, just like well-watered plants. Plants perform best when they get water every morning before 10:00 a.m. when the sun’s rays are strongest. Their roots need nourishment to face the long, hot day ahead, so their leaves and flowers won’t wither. When your faith is deeply rooted in God’s Word, you will be steady and secure no matter how hot your trials may be. You will be able to bear fruit even in periods of storms or drought, because your roots draw sustenance from a constant source of strength.
God provides us what we need for each season. Each season is a time of preparation.
If God uses seasons to prepare us, then I believe we can be fruitful no matter what the season is in our life. We can glean from each season things that will help us grow and produce fruit for the future.
You may be looking at your life right now and see a desert wasteland, but Isaiah 43: 19 says God is about to do something new. He’ll make rivers in the desert so you can produce fruit and grow. No matter how dark life gets, or how abundant your blessings are, God has a design and a purpose to grow you through this season.
God provides strength and sustenance in His Word. When we take time consistently to feed on what He shares and let it nourish our soul, we are refreshed and able to bear fruit for His glory. The Holy Spirit helps us bear the fruits of the Spirit for God’s glory (see Galatians 5:22-23). No matter our current circumstances in the natural, we can bear spiritual fruit year-round as we draw close to Him through regular Bible study.
The fruit we bear can inspire those around us to grow greater in their faith and trust in the Lord. This is one way all we do will prosper, because we are depending on God for our strength and sustenance. Jesus teaches us remaining connected to Him is the key to bearing fruit in our lives. This echoes the image from Psalm 1 of the tree that bears fruit in its season. Our fruitfulness – our ability to manifest love, joy, peace, and other godly qualities – is directly related to how closely we abide in Christ.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, I want to have a well-watered heart. Give me a love for Your Word. Wake me up each morning with a desire to meet You. Teach me how to handle life’s stresses with what I learn when I study your Word and seek You with all my heart. Grow my trust in You to produce fruit in my life, even in challenging seasons. Help me bear fruit in every season of my life, so others will be inspired to follow you. Amen.
Bearing fruit isn’t about perfect conditions but unwavering trust. As God reveals His elaborate tapestry of grace, He breathes fresh life into us to help us thrive, assuring us our story isn’t finished. As His handiwork, we are established to bear fruit in every season—grief, joy, or transition.
About Teri Miner
Teri’s dance with grief actually began over five years before she watched her beloved husband of almost 37 years take his last breath and enter Heaven’s door on October 6, 2019. A terminal degenerative neurological disease steadily and increasingly attacked nearly every major system of his body and transformed him from a vibrant, brilliant, strong and caring man to a bedfast invalid at the end. She was devoted to caring for him and doing her best to make the most of every minute they had left, to love him and pray for a miracle.
She thought she knew what her future held, but she had no idea. Losing him was the first time she experienced a close and personal loss. He was the love of her life. The onslaught of the pandemic with its reign of fear-mongering, forced isolation and separation entering the scene and disrupting or destroying whatever sense of “normal” that remained, just added insult to injury.
Her faith in God is the sustaining force keeping her fighting spirit to find and share hope in a bright future. Her heart’s desire is to walk beside her fellow widows toward a path of promise and healing. She wants to offer encouragement and hope so others can find the strength to take that next breath or next step. She recently started her own blog, https://widowwhispers.blogspot.com/, to share with other widows not only the struggles and hardships of widowhood, but the triumphs. Her hope is found in leaning on the Lord Jesus to enjoy a God inspired future anchored in expectation He will bring us to a fulfilling and meaningful life.