“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;”
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 (RSV)
Those of us in a particular age group will remember these words from the hit song by the Byrds in 1965. The words were derived from all eight verses in this chapter of scripture. King Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes and Pete Seeger was first to turn the words into a song in 1959. The Byrds later adapted it and it became the hit song, called “Turn, Turn, Turn.”
People read the seasons, signs and cycles of nature as they adjust and plan accordingly. Professional golfers know how to read the greens of each golf course. Fighter pilots use OODA, a code which stands for observe, orient, decide and act. It helps them make quick, accurate decisions while flying at high speeds.
Farmers read the phases of the moon, since some are better for planting, when its gravitational pull is best for plant growth and root development. Physicians observe a patients’ symptoms to decide which diagnostic tests to order and how to best treat them.
God created a beautiful world with cycles and systems of nature, which mankind has learned to navigate according to their field of interest. He has made everything beautiful in its time, and He created us to hunger for the pleasures that last forever, which only He can satisfy.
Just as there are times, cycles and seasons in the universe, there are also times, cycles and seasons in our personal journey of life and faith.
We all experience seasons of joy and laughter, as well as seasons of mourning and weeping. If we can read the seasons in our lives, as we do in nature, we will have a better sense of divine providence, knowing that everything is working towards our eternal good in the end.
Joy has little to do with the absence of problems, but rather is the result of a grateful heart. Believing that God is always in control, gives us a sense of gratitude and makes it easier to transition into the next season that is ahead of us. Nothing stays the same, change is difficult, and the biggest challenge is when we face a time or season that brings a new sorrow or discomfort.
Peter tells us not to be surprised by every fiery ordeal that we face, that we are sharing in Christ’s suffering through our own, and will find inexpressible joy on the day He reveals His glory to us.
(1 Peter 4:12-14) We were meant to seek the lessons God has for us through all the seasons of our lives.
My two older brothers were only eighteen months apart and were very close growing up. As the only girl and the youngest, I felt like an only child at times. Now as I reflect on their relationship, I can appreciate it more after raising twin boys, who grew up with the same kind of closeness.
My brothers shared a bedroom as well as the same group of friends. They laughed together, played sports together, shared their first car, attended the same college together and had the same best friend, who stood up at both of their weddings. They both had a first born baby daughter, born within two months of each other.
Three years after his daughter was born, my oldest brother Ted, died suddenly at the age of 35, in his F-16 fighter jet. He was a skilled Air Force instructor pilot, but crashed during a training mission, which later was found to be caused by an electrical wire chafing problem, common in F-16’s at the time.
(A movie called Afterburn, released in 1992 tells his story)
The loss of my oldest brother was a sad season in my family’s lives, but especially for my brother, John. Although he always had a stoic exterior, I have come to understand that he suffered loss in a different way than the rest of us did. He not only lost a brother, he lost his best friend, the one person who knew him best and was supposed to be his lifelong friend.
Today, my brother John has a family of his own and is close with his own son and grandsons, which I believe is God’s gift of comfort and blessing to him. In thinking about faith, families, siblings and the seasons of our lives, I have come to realize that Jesus is an older brother to all of us, and He stays with us throughout every season and trial that we go through.
For those who know what it’s like to prematurely lose a sibling, spouse, parent or child, Jesus has been there with us all along, as an older brother. He has known us since we were born, and leads us by example.
In every person’s life, there will be seasons of joy and sorrow, but if we learn to read the changing seasons of our lives, we can believe that everything is beautiful in its own time, since God uses all seasons towards our eternal good. We can go through life in peace, knowing Jesus has His arms around us, and we will never go through any season alone.
Lord, thank you for making every season and cycle of our lives beautiful its own time. Give us the wisdom to read the season, to find joy through gratitude, and to know you love us and will be with us in every season. Amen
