Seasons and Change

We are three quarters of the way through September and that means a number of things. County fairs and harvest festivals are taking place all over the country. The kids are settling back into school. The weather is starting to cool down. Being a New Englander by birth I think there is something inherent in Autumn that causes you to be a bit nostalgic. Autumn arriving also shows us the wonderful plan God put into motion during creation. It is part of the circle of seasons that is so representative of life. If you are like me, Disney's The Circle of Life from The Lion King is now playing in your head. Your welcome. At this seasonal change I return to my favorite Old Testament book, Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 records the words of King Solomon saying there is a time for everything under heaven. The changing seasons do many things for us. God obviously is the ultimate engineer. Without the seasons we wouldn't have weather patterns or planting seasons, and life on this great big blue marble in space would be completely different and arguably uninhabitable. Without the oblong orbit and strange tilt that the earth has to it's axis, we wouldn't be able to survive. But there is more to the seasons than just engineering and survivability.

The seasons are a reminder of life cycles. These life cycles are large and small. They encompass our entire lives. Solomon shares there is a time for everything. There is a time to plant and a time to harvest. There is a time to live and a time to die. There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to search and a time to give up. Yes, that's right, there is a time to give up. We often think that if we are not living up to the expectations and success we or others have set before us, we are failing. What Solomon is ultimately saying is worrying about this and trying to change it is senseless. We should accept the changing seasons in our life and move forward as they will change again and again and again.

The seasons God put into motion with respect to our world illustrate the overall seasons of life. In the Spring we see new life. Buds form on trees and flowers start to pop up and open up. The grass starts to grow and the heavens bring much needed rains to supply life giving water to all of this. In the summer we see the beauty of nature with all of the trees giving us shade from the heat of the sun. The flowers are in full bloom giving us such an array of color. We enjoy the warmth of the air and the sun on our faces as we play. Autumn brings the turning of the leaves and crisp coolness of the evenings. It is when all of the plants have matured and are harvested. This leads us to Winter. Oh Winter, you signify death in so many ways. But here's the cool part, pun intended. Winter relents to Spring! Death is not final!

There is a season for everything. Change is inevitable. Nothing is final. I want to encourage you today. Just as the seasons change, events in our lives change. There are times of great joy and great sadness. We experience great success and great failure. Just as Winter leads to Spring, our physical death only leads to life with the Lord. It is a crossing over. Though sad, it is a time to celebrate because there is a Spring coming!

Solomon concludes Ecclesiastes with one of my most favorite passages of scripture. After a life of searching and testing and after a life of trying everything Solomon concludes with Ecclesiastes 12:13. When it's all done, have you feared God and kept his commandments? Fearing God is not being afraid of Him. It is respecting Him and honoring his sovereignty in your life. Keeping his commandments is not being legalistic about the ten commandments or the law of Moses. It is about what Jesus told us when he said to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Read more about this in my blog article Arrows Pointed Out and Arrows Pointed In.

Enjoy the change of the seasons. Accept them for what they represent. And, love the Lord by loving others.

Be blessed my friends!