I have to admit, Ecclesiastes is not one of my favorite books of the Bible. However, as autumn approaches, I am drawn to the words of the book. If there really is a season for everything, how should we respond?
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV reads;
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.”
As we move through the seasons of summer to fall, we also transition through seasons of our lives. Ironically, my calendar message reads, “There is a time for everything.” God is reminding me of lessons I have yet to learn. I embrace the one at hand.
There is a season for everything.
Just like we cannot stop the seasons from changing, we cannot stop the transitional seasons of our lives either. Looking back over my life, I see times of plenty and times of lack. Seasons of sickness and loss often followed by times of health, peace and thanksgiving. Sometimes, I have been forced to let go of things. Only to realize the loss made room for new and unexpected things.
Here is the lesson; with every change, we have a choice. We can resist or we can embrace.
With every change, we have a choice.
Parker Palmer says, in his book, Let Your Life Speak,
“Autumn is a season of great beauty, but it is also a season of decline: the days grow shorter, the light is suffused, and summer’s abundance decays toward winter’s death… In my own experience of autumn, I am rarely aware that seeds are being planted… But as I explore autumn’s paradox of dying and seeding, I feel the power of metaphor. In the autumnal events of my own experience, I am easily fixated on surface appearances — on the decline of meaning, the decay of relationships, the death of a work. And yet if I look more deeply, I may see the myriad possibilities being planted to bear fruit in some season.
In retrospect, I can see in my own life what I could not see at the time — how the job I lost helped me find work I needed to do, how the “road closed” sign turned me toward terrain I needed to travel, how losses that felt irredeemable forced me to discern meanings I needed to know. On the surface it seemed that life was lessening, but silently and lavishly the seeds of new life were always being sown.”
“There is a right time for everything.” -The Living Bible
The truth is, there is not just a time for everything but there is a RIGHT time for everything. As humans, we think we know what is best and what is not in any given situation. But we do not. Only God knows.
“We can make our own plans,
but the Lord gives the right answer….
9 We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.”
We have very little control over our lives. But we can choose how we respond. Embracing life and the changes that come with it requires us to trust God. The good news is we CAN trust Him. God loves us more than we can understand.
Whatever situation you face today, may you trust God, knowing with confidence God wants the very best for you. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
P.S. Leave me a comment below and let me know what you are thankful for. Share this message with a friend who may need some encouragement today. Post on Facebook and tag me in it. And until next time, I am thankful for you. -M
One thought on “If there is a season for everything, how should we respond?”
Thank you! Love you!