Seasons

Part of the secret to a successful Christian life and ministry is realizing the cycle of seasons that impact us. Figuratively speaking, it is possible to attempt to shovel snow on a hot, sultry July day. Seasons – winter, spring, summer, autumn – are natural. God said, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). We trust in God’s promise that natural seasons will always be a part of the year’s cycle, but we sometimes fail to realize that the same is true spiritually.

The wise man of Ecclesiastes wrote, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which 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 cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, 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 of war, and a time of peace.

I find this passage insightful. Some would say it is pessimistic, but it is realistic. Newborn babies bring joy but few people find joy in death. Yet, there is a time for death. On and on it goes…in direct opposition to our tendency to want only peace and prosperity, while turning away from “a time of war” and “a time to die.” The wise man seems bound in negativity, but truly he is only elaborating upon his introductory thought: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

We can become frustrated if we do not realize what season we are in with regards to our lives and ministries. We might be in a time of growth – Springtime – yet we are not helping the process…no tilling of the garden, no planting of seeds. At other times, we might be self-absorbed with the winter blues but God wants us to rejoice and be glad with the new life of Spring. As we witness to people, if we fail to recognize the phases of spiritual growth in their lives, we can become irritated and discouraged. God is taking them down a wintry path and we want to interrupt His process by forcing them into Autumn’s time of harvest.

About his disciples, Jesus said, “Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days” (Mark 2:19-20). It goes against the grain of our mentality in regards to spiritual discipline that Jesus did not want His disciples to fast while He was with them. They would fast later.

Doris Jaynes, a friend of mine, recently told me that at one point in her life, God drew her into a deeper prayer life. She went to the church every morning very early and spent time with the Lord. When she found out that her son had cancer, she realized that the Lord had been preparing her for the trial she would go through. The extra time with God was supplying her with extra strength.

Many people in the Bible experienced times of great joy and other times of great crises. David slew a giant; he fled Jerusalem like a fugitive when his son Absalom declared himself king. Elijah slew the prophets of Baal; he fled for his life from Jezebel’s words. Joseph basked in God-given dreams; he was sold into slavery by his brothers, cast into prison, and seemingly forgotten.

Often, when the harshness of winter closes in upon us, our minds want to tell us that God has forsaken us or that we have made a mistake. If God loved me, I would not be facing this dark night! Yet, God’s seasons are all necessary. They all are for a purpose. There is a time for everything. Even the difficult times are necessary for it is then that we grow the most, although we don’t realize it until later.

During his preaching, Bill once pointed out that the most beautiful time of year – when the leaves are brilliant and vibrant in color – is also the time when death occurs. As the golden leaves fall to the ground, a sign of the soon-to-come winter, it is the end of a season of harvest. Could it be that the Lord sees our lives the same way? We tend to rejoice in the harvest, but perhaps He sees our death to self as beautiful.

Seasons. We must learn to recognize the season we are in. The winter might be long, longer than usual. The summer might find warm rays bringing smiles to our faces and giving our step an extra boost. But if we try to live as though we are in a different season, we will experience great frustration. God will give us grace and strength to endure the storms, while He prepares joy for the days when the gentle breeze brushes the emerald and bountiful fields.

The good thing is that we don’t walk through anything alone. The same one who said that as long as the earth remains, seasons will cycle through the year, also said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” This assurance enables us to say, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:5-6).