Word for Wednesday…Seasons
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
I have officially decided summer is my least favorite season, at least mid-July through the end of August. It’s just too hot. I know I shouldn’t complain. Much of my work as a pastor I can do indoors, in the comfort of air conditioned spaces, but I do have other responsibilities, all of which must be done outdoors, like mowing the lawn and completing the occasional tasks associated with our hobby farm. This time of year, just walking to the mailbox can lead to a sweat-soaked t-shirt, and I don’t even have that long of a driveway. Of course I’m exaggerating a little bit, and there are things I enjoy about the summer, but what really keeps me going when I have to be outside in the middle of the afternoon is the knowledge that summer is a season, and seasons, by definition, don’t last forever. Fall is coming…then winter…which will bring something else to complain about; the freezing temperatures!Like the created world, life also has its seasons. According to the author of Ecclesiastes, there are seasons of tearing down and seasons of building up, seasons of weeping and seasons of laughter, and seasons of mourning and seasons of dancing. And these are just a few examples.
Like the seasons of the created world, the seasons of our lives are constantly changing. That can sound like good news, if you are in the midst of a season you are not very fond of, or not-so-good news, if life is going well for you. Regardless of the season you are in right now, as a follower of Jesus you can always cling to that one constant, his never changing love for you. Enjoy the good seasons of life. Muddle through the bad ones. But never lose sight of the future that awaits you as one of God’s children, an eternity basking in the warm (but not so humid) glow of his affection.
