Month: April 2024

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.

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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.

Some people complain about computers, and there are people who use computers who still print everything.  One good thing about computers, though, is that they can save trees if you choose to save data on the computer instead of printing everything out.  (Personally I’m somewhere in between.  I save most of my info on digital media, but some things I like to print and file just in case I can’t access my online accounts.)  Another day as I looked at the scene in front of me after the tree cracked and crashed to the ground, I noticed that someone had been cutting up the tree into small logs, most likely for firewood.  I love the smell of fresh cut wood. 

After an event takes place, isn’t our next question now what?  God has a plan for everything, and He has given us wisdom and expertise to make good use of the now what in life.  This tree was of no use to anyone lying on its side, split in half, and roots disturbed.  But the wood from the tree is useful to keep someone warm by burning it in their fireplace or campfire. 

I could easily look at the above picture and lament the tree that is no longer there to give shade, but there’s another angle to that picture.  What good can come out of this tree falling to the ground? 

• The person cutting it up doesn’t have to climb the tree to remove it.
• It gave someone possibly a paying job to cut it up.
• The tree can still be useful as it its purpose is redirected.
• If the wood is sold, it will provide income.
• The wood will keep someone warm when it is burned.
• The wood could be useful for crafts.
• With the tree gone, the sun can shine through with its warmth and light.
• Can you think of other good it brings???

When I complete one task on my list, I often ask myself now what? Or what next?  I like to keep busy and I like to see my to-do list items checked off.  When bad things happen, I used to say what next? out of frustration because my plans were interrupted or something cost me time or money, and I was afraid of what next bad thing might happen to add to my dilemma.  However, I soon discovered that asking that question had me looking for the next bad thing, and somehow it always seemed to happen.  A better question I’ve started asking is what do You want me to learn from this? 

The key is to look at other angles and see what can be part of God’s plans.  I’ll never forget a guest missionary speaker who made a profound statement that has stuck with me many, many years later:  Don’t ask WHY, but WHAT.  When she first said it, I was puzzled.  But then she went on to explain how when things happen, our first reaction is why did it happen.  Often there are no explanations or reasons why some things happen—at least not for us now, but some day it will all be made plain to us when we get to Heaven.  So, she said, instead of asking why, ask what.  Specifically, what can I learn from this?  That takes our focus off of what happened and trying to figure it out, and puts it onto God and what HE wants us to learn from this or how HE is going to use this for our good. WHAT is definitely a hard question to ask and sometimes even harder to answer, but by doing so we grow closer to God and attune ourselves to Him.  If I had to sit down immediately after an event and think about the what, I would most likely not have an answer and even get frustrated.  So I need to let the situation settle and ruminate on it in the back of my mind.  As I do so, I start seeing some of the possible reasons an event took place, how it could have turned out different, and eventually what God wants me to learn from it.  It’s a hard exercise to discipline yourself to do, but so worth the effort.

“But he said to me,
“My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
II Corinthians 12:9 ESV

The tree must have been weak, but in becoming weak and submitting to the wind, it fell to the ground so that God’s power could use it for even greater purposes.  So it is with our lives.  His all-sufficient grace and power resting on us is what brings about God’s perfect peace.

For many years I always wore a watch so I’d know what time it was.  I’ve always been a little time conscious, but it’s especially important if you’re shopping and need to be somewhere at a certain time.  I never gave it much thought, but normally you don’t see a clock on the wall in stores—probably because they don’t want you to be in a hurry to leave so that you’ll buy more.  After I started carrying my cell phone in my pocket, I gradually got away from wearing a watch because I had audible reminders of appointments.  Besides, even if I had a watch on my arm, I found myself looking up at the clock in the room.  So why wear a watch?!

What are some things TIME tells us?

• When it’s time to go to bed or get up
• To put the book down and make a meal
• Get ready to leave for work or an appointment
• How long we’ve been concentrating on something
• A block of time left to get a task accomplished
• If it’s a good day, how fast time seems to go when we are having fun
• If it’s a bad day, how slow time drags on
• Add your own:                                                                                

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:
With the Lord a day is like a thousand years,
and a thousand years are like a day.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,
as some understand slowness.
Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,
but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:8-9, NIV

Time is time and is consistent all the time.  When we are waiting for something to take place or someone to arrive, time seems to slow down and drag, but we know it doesn’t really.  However, with God, this verse tells us, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day.  That doesn’t make sense to us humans, but to God it makes perfect sense.  Think about it…  If it was up to us, wouldn’t we fast forward through the bad times or the waiting times, and put the brakes on when times are good and we’re enjoying what’s happening around us so we could enjoy it a little longer?  I know I would.  But God is not slow.  He just has a different time table than we do.  That is because of His loving kindness and patience.  He wants to give everyone the time they need to come to Him in repentance. 

Are we there yet?  Isn’t that the question every child asks in anticipation when on a long trip to somewhere exciting?  What are you looking forward to?

Do I have to go?  That’s the opposite of anticipation.  It’s when you know you have to go somewhere you don’t want to go and probably participate in some activity you have no interest in.  Are you willing to go if God is directing you?

When is time sensitive and is definitive.  When are we leaving?  When is our company coming?  Which question is your reaction when thinking about Heaven?  I admit for years mine was the latter.  But now every day I find myself asking when, Lord?  When do I get to leave this world?  When are You coming back?  There is a definite specific response to these when questions unlike the maybe answers we often give each other when there are things we don’t really want to do.  Jesus doesn’t say maybe I’ll come back or maybe I’ll give people more opportunity to find Me.  He says I will come back and it will be in My time when more people have come to Me.

Planning is important to me because I’m a plan-ahead type of person.  My calendar is full of time slots, some filled in and some blank.  I like to make sure I have something to do on any given day but not be so booked that I don’t have time to enjoy the unplanned things of life that can bring so much fun and joy.  Planning ahead for eternity is one of those things that I can’t plug into a certain day or time slot, but it is definitely something I can plan for in my life by making sure I’m ready when the time comes.

“There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every matter under Heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1, NASB

Just like the old adage attributed to Benjamin Franklin, “A place for everything and everything in its place”, there is a time for everything.  The question is, how are you using your time?  And are you making time for the important things?  Are you ready for the day and time when God will call you home?  You need to get ready now because we don’t know when that will be.  If you are ready, then peace will be yours both now and then.