Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what 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 throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, 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 for war, and a time for peace.”
It is interesting that in Ecclesiastes, the poet refers to stages and periods of life as seasons. It makes us step back and redefine the common definition of the season. A season in the biblical sense is no longer made up of four periods marked by weather and temperature, but rather is marked by our days, circumstances, joys, sorrows and choices. And for every season in life there is an action.
Often as we look toward a new year, we want to focus on what is ahead. We hold to verses like Philippians 3:13, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” But here in Ecclesiastes we are reminded that there is a time for everything. We are molded and changed by every season of our lives. The good and the bad make us who we are. Mistakes lead us down the pathways of change. Accomplishments bring new possibilities and responsibilities. If we are wise, we do not forget the past, but we also don’t dwell on it, we move forward remembering what God has brought us through and what we are being led to.
Paul is not saying to literally forget all that you have been through, rather he is saying that he is stalled neither by his failures nor his accomplishments, but moves forward to new opportunities for ministry. Are you moving forward into 2013 or have you stalled out in a particular season that you cannot seem to move past? I think that the poet in Ecclesiastes chose to use the theme of seasons because no matter which season you are in, it will change and we will be changed by it.
As we near the end of 2012, take a look back at the seasons in your life. How have they changed or helped to define you? What are the moments that brought you joy or sadness and how have they made you who you are today?
Prayer: Beautiful Savior, we give you thanks for every season in our lives. We thank you for the joys and the sorrows because they have shaped us for ministry and become a part of who we are. Help us not move forward without considering where we have been and what you have brought us through. Thank you Jesus for being with us every step of our journey. Amen
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