What Season Are You In?

Life is full of contrasts. We go through mountains, and we go through valleys. We go through successes, and we go through failures. We have wins, and we have losses.

In weather, there are four seasons. But in our life, there are dozens of different seasons. And every season of life includes both good and bad times.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 gives us a representation of different life experiences: “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.”

Life is a combination of different seasons. All sunshine and no rain make a desert. If we’re following God’s will, if we’re trying to live your life according to the way God wants us to live, then we’ll eventually see that these experiences can have purpose and value in our life.

We may think that the only time we’re in God’s will is when we’re at church or having a quiet time. We can be in God’s will as we’re cleaning out a closet. You can be in God’s will as we’re mowing our lawn. We can be in God’s will when we move to a new location or stay right where we are. There’s a time and season for everything.

Ray Stevens sang a song called “Everything Is Beautiful” that included the lyric “Everything is beautiful in its own way.” That’s not exactly true. Everything is not beautiful. Cancer is not beautiful. Child abuse is not beautiful. War is not beautiful.

The Bible says it differently in Ecclesiastes 3:11: “God has made everything beautiful for its own time.” That’s very different from “Everything is beautiful in its own way.” Because the Bible is saying that God can take even the bad things and, in the right season, turn them around and use them for good in the way he intends.

We may be going through a season right now that is not beautiful. Our finances look ugly. Our health looks ugly. Our marriage or a friendship looks ugly. Our future looks ugly. But God can make something good out of it as you trust him with the pieces.

My challenge for us today is to Trust God for the Season He has you in!