Today marks the end of August. For most it signals the end of summer even though summer continues until late September. But the rhythm of our lives change this time of year. Vacations come to an end. Children head back to school. College football kicks off. So even though there is much of summer left to enjoy, we have mentally moved on. We cry out for cooler temperatures and pumpkin everything. Yes, I just bought two pumpkin candles today. And yes, I am itching to unpack all my fall decorations and replace the flower pots on my porch with mums of every fall color. Even I fall prey to the restlessness and desire to move into the next season. How easily we tire of that which we craved just months ago.
When we force the close of one season before due time, we run the risk of missing out. Missing out on beauty. Missing out on opportunities. Missing out on lessons. Our lives are a series of seasons. And just like the four seasons we enjoy in my neck of the woods, there are blessings and challenges in each. It is so easy to overlook the gifts of today because we are trying to predict or control tomorrow.
Ecclesiastics 3:1-8 reminds us that there is a season for everything. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” This passage was even turned into a popular 1965 song released by The Byrds called “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
The book of Ecclesiastes is part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. It was used by the Hebrews as a book of instruction. It showed them how to find spiritual significance in a life that would otherwise be meaningless. Without God at the center, life has no purpose. It is what leads us to be restless and unsettled. Always looking to move forward; uncomfortable sitting in our current season.
God created the seasons in our life for a purpose. When our focus is on this world, our desires, our wants, our frustrations, our pain – we just want to move on. Without the foundation of God and the reference of His greater Plan, we have no staying power. We become bored with what we just purchased. We get tired of waiting so we forge ahead prematurely. We are exhausted by the struggles and the pain, so we try to solve rather than trust. And we miss lessons and blessings we can only learn in this season.
I love being in seasons of happiness and joy! But if I’m honest, I usually end up taking those seasons for granted. I’m ready for the new joy! The new excitement! The new adventure. On the other hand, I don’t love the seasons of pain or challenge or disappointment. Those days that turn into months waiting for answers or relief. Yet the reality is, both offer me the chance to grow into the woman God wants me to be. I must be content to stay in the season until it’s completion. In other words, I can’t start unpacking the decorations before their time.
God has so much for each of us to learn. He has so many gifts He wishes to shower on us. Joys that you can’t imagine. In due time. In due season. For without the tearing down, you cannot rebuild. Without the mourning, you cannot appreciate the dancing. Without the silence, you cannot gain wisdom to speak. Without the weeping, you cannot embrace the laughter.
The path between seasons will always be littered with rocks and roots. But walking with God guarantees that in each season there is life. And beauty. And hope. And love. Yes, you will trip. You will fall. But the hand of your Savior will lift you. And if you walk with Him, you will not miss the gifts of the season you are in.
August is coming to a close. And retail outlets are telling me it’s time to move on. But it is still summer. And my flowers are pushing fresh blooms sharing their beauty with me for a little while longer. So, I’ll take my que from God’s handiwork. I’ll trust Him to show me when it is time to move on. And in the meantime, I’ll just rest in the season I’m in. And enjoy the view.
In what ways are you rushing forward without God? I encourage you to take time to slow down and listen to where God has you right now and what He’s sharing with you.
So true!! I need to read this every day!!