I took the photo on the left on a late Fall afternoon just before sunset when the sun makes everything look bright and vivid. Fall is my favorite time of year, but I also enjoy the snow in the Wintertime. I purposely lined up my camera to take the photo on the right at the same angle at the same time of day. What a difference a few weeks can make in the lay of the landscape.
Isn’t that like our lives? Things might look bright and colorful one day but covered with problems at another time. When the latter happens, I like to think and look back at the good times that were so cheerful and pleasant. Sometimes that can be helpful, but at other times, I need to remember that life is just like seasons. It changes. It looks different, feels different, and has a different background. But it is still the same life; I’m still the same person.
Friendships come and go with the seasons, too, though I wish they could stay. As I’ve moved, I’ve lost closeness with friends who lived nearby. As I’ve begun worshipping at a different church, I’ve lost the connection I had with most of the people at previous churches. It’s all part of change which is a big factor in the seasons of the year. The changes of temperature, hours of daylight, the distance and angle of the sun, and weather all contribute to the way the seasons take on new appearances and atmosphere.
I remember one time trying to come up with an exercise that children could do to illustrate a Scripture to share at a nursing home. We took Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and acted it out. The residents loved it, and I’ve never forgotten it myself. Take note how each phrase has opposites, i.e., born and die. That’s just the way seasons are—a time to bring things to life (Spring) and a time to let them die back (Fall). A baby is born and an older person dies.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, KJV
If there was never time for the opposite, what would life be like? Would that be good or do opposites have a purpose? Make a study out of these verses and think what the opposites could mean…for you and for the world. No matter what happens during the different seasons of life, we will always come back to the last one—a time of peace. When war is over, when mourning is past, when the harvest is over, it will be time to experience rest and His perfect peace in the final season of life. So enjoy each of the seasons and what they have to offer. If you’re like me, you may have to try very hard to think of something good about a certain season (for me, it’s Summer because I don’t like the heat and humidity), but remember God gave us four seasons for a reason and it’s our job to find out what those reasons are and enjoy and thank Him for what He’s given us. Perfect peace is the ultimate gift and nature shows us how to live in peaceful harmony.
When you read a book, are you one of those who reads the last page or chapter to see how it’s going to end before you start at the beginning? Unfortunately, we can’t do that with life. Only God knows how, when, and under what circumstances our life or season of life will end. I look forward to the final ending of my story, but God hasn’t written the last chapter(s) yet. So I wait to see how it will end. The final moments of my life may not be peaceful, but I know that once I die, I will rest in His presence in perfect peace forever.
Seasons of life include different directions that our paths take. Sometimes those paths seem like a maize. I’ve been retired for 10 years and enjoying it, and yet at times get restless for something different. I like to write which is why I started this blog 16 months ago. At first it was fun and gave me something to do, but I also looked at it as a way of encouraging and blessing those who read it. I’ve become increasingly disappointed that I’ve had next to no feedback or comments from readers so I have no idea if anyone is reading my posts, if they’re pertinent, if they’re a blessing, or if there’s no interest. Therefore, this blog will remain but as of May 1, 2024, I will not be adding new posts.
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