There's A Season For Everything

Scripture:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

Observation:

Pumpkin spice is everywhere, football season is in full swing, the weather cooled down a bit (at least for a few blessed days), and pumpkin spice is everywhere (yes, I know I already said that, but have you walked into Trader Joe’s or Starbucks recently? I mean, it’s EVERYWHERE you go☺). All that to say, summer is over and fall is here.

The verse today reminds us that there are seasons in our lives for everything and unfortunately they are rarely as clearly defined as the transition from summer to fall. There is a season for everything and that’s how God designed it.

The main observation is that many of us need to readjust how we view seasons in our lives, especially the difficult ones. I was with a friend recently and he shared how he was frustrated that an issue he thought he had dealt with in the past had come back once again. Have you felt that way too? You wonder why you haven’t gotten past something yet and why you have the same struggles when they should be behind you. Years ago, God helped me to understand this by showing me the difference between seeing our lives as a timeline or as a cycle.

In our culture, we see life as a timeline. We are born, then we go to school, we graduate, perhaps get married and have kids, grow old, etc. We see life as linear. But, in the Hebrew culture, they saw life as a cycle. There was a season to plant seeds, one to water them and nurture them, one to harvest them, and one to uproot them so as to prepare for the next time to plant. They saw life in seasons.

This had a profound impact on me. I realized that seeing my life as linear caused me to get incredibly discouraged, like my friend, when I thought I had “dealt with” an issue and should be over it. I thought I had “gotten past something” and it should be “behind me.” So whenever I faced that same struggle, I felt like I had gone backwards. I had regressed. I was failing. But, when I see life as a cycle, everything changes. I’m not going backwards; God is taking me deeper. I’m not regressing; I’m realizing that sometimes looking at the past is the only way to progress. I’m not failing; I’m growing.

We will all have seasons of planting, laughing, and dancing. And that’s okay! We will also have seasons of uprooting, weeping, and mourning. And that’s okay too! There is a season for everything and there’s freedom in that.

Application:

When it comes to applying what we learn from this verse, there are two important action points. First, we don’t get surprised when the seasons change each year, nor should we get surprised when seasons in our lives change as well. Second, when we know we’re entering the winter, we put away our swimsuits and grab our sweaters. That’s because knowing what season we are currently in helps us to know how to best prepare for that season. So, what season do you currently find yourself in and how can you best prepare for it?

Finally, remember that God is the same in every season. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), which means He is the same in your times of greatest triumph and greatest tragedy. His love, presence, and character aren’t seasonal, He is forever and, like pumpkin spice in the fall, He is everywhere you go ☺

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for telling us in Your Word that there is a season for everything. Please help me not to forget you in great seasons or to get discouraged when I’m in tough seasons. Please help me to experience the freedom of seeing life as a cycle, and not a timeline. And regardless of the season I’m in right now, I praise You for being with me and for being the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.