Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 A Time
Solomon shares one of the most poignant pieces of poetry outside of the Psalms. For EVERYTHING there is a time. Seasons we will ALL move through.
When I was younger, I heard the song “Turn, Turn, Turn”, by the Byrds, on the radio. I LOVED it but didn’t realize it was scripture. I’m not sure how old I was before I found the passage in my bible. I pulled up the original version on YouTube and listened to it again with my bible open, following along. There is only a little deviation from the order and words between the song and Solomon’s words. I was wondering how old I was when I heard it so I looked for the release date. It hit the airwaves on December 6, 1965. I was NOT old enough to remember it when it first came out.
That song and Solomon’s words still hold true. From the day the earth fell into the hands of Satan through Eve’s sin until God cleanses it and makes a new earth, these seasons will fall in each of our lives. No, we may not literally go and fight in a war but we war within ourselves over right and wrong. Paul tells us we are at war with our flesh.
These seasons help shape who we are. Not specifically the seasons themselves but how we handle them as they come. Do you let the seasons sweep you away as in a raging flood? Do you endeavor to stand firm, without bending or giving an inch? Do you try and weather whatever comes alone? Do you gather others around you for support? Who do you lean on, or lean into? What happens when the storm passes? How do you handle the joyful times? What happens when both joy and despair come at you together?
For myself, for a LONG TIME, my ‘go-to’ model was to stand FIRM against anything that got in my way. I wouldn’t give an inch. I believed I could push my way through ANY storm, ON MY OWN. I didn’t seek help except through prayer. Often times, when someone offered help, I turned it down. “Thank you, but I’m fine. I can manage.” I was always polite in the process, or at least I think I was, with those offering help. But those who stood in my way, beware! I wasn’t violent, but I was adamant that things were going to go MY WAY. Those ‘tests of will’, in my mind, were only going to end one way; MINE. I have to say, looking back on those storms, some went my way while others didn’t. And I SURVIVED. Probably a better testament is that everyone else survived too. Maybe a bit worse for the wear.
Over the years I have learned to bend a little. Not like the blow-up figures that ‘dance’ to get your attention. I’ve heard them called “air dancers.” But you have to give those ‘guys’ credit. No matter what the wind does to them, they hold their footing. I have also learned to receive as well as ask for help when I need it. The asking is still difficult for me. I prefer being the one giving the help instead.
When it comes to the joyful times, I’m more than happy to share them with anyone and everyone I can. Sometimes I may pull a little “Henny Penny” attitude with those who don’t want to be involved until all the work is done and its time to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I like sharing though, so I’m more inclined to overlook inequities, to a point.
Like probably everyone else in the world, I prefer the good seasons but I seem to learn the most during the difficult ones. They are the ones that drive me to my knees and I seek God’s help to make it through them. They are the times when, if my life were the “Footprints” poem, I would be being carried and there would only be one set of footprints. If I’m being honest, those footprints would be staggering along as I tried to break free of the arms supporting me and do it on my own.
I’m reminded of a visit I recently made with a friend to a veterinarian’s office. A couple came in with their Jack Russel puppy. It did NOT appreciate being put on a leash once inside the office. In fact, when the couple first came in the dog was running about freely until a staff member stopped this and insisted they use one of the leashes. To calm the dog, the owners would pick him up. He refused to settle down in their arms! He wanted to be free so badly that he flipped himself out of their arms a couple of times. If they hadn’t bent down a bit while struggling with the dog, he would have had a VERY hard landing. I wonder how often this is me with God.
And then there are the times when I’m so broken that all I want to do is burry my head in God’s shoulder and cry. He lets me do just that, for a while. Then He dries my eyes, sets me back on my feet, takes my hand, and we start out on our journey again. He doesn’t ‘chase all the monsters away’ but gives me the strength to look them in the face. Then, together we defeat them.
Without the hard times, we would not appreciate the good times. Without the good times, we could not stand in the hard times. We NEED both kinds of seasons. They shape us just as surely as a river shapes the banks along it. I’m reminded of a Flintstones cartoon where Fred and Wilma come across the beginnings of the Grand Canyon. The sign states the name of this natural wonder but it is no deeper than a half inch in depth. Fred comments that it isn’t very grand. Wilma tells him to give it time. Only by being patient, being willing to learn along the journey, and NOT giving up do we make it from a little stream flowing on the surface, into the grand monument that can take people’s breath away with the beauty God has exposed.
Be certain that there will be all kinds of seasons in your life. And know that the ONLY way to survive and thrive in them is to hold fast to the hand of the Author of our story. He knows the path for each of us. He knows exactly what it will take to bring out the jewel hidden within each of us.
Father God, THANK YOU for both the hard and good seasons in my life. I can’t say I was overjoyed while in the difficult seasons but I KNEW I was NEVER alone. Thank You too for bring the good seasons in my life. I would not be whole without them. And I want to be NOWHERE without You! Whatever it takes Father, I’m Yours to mold.
