The Beauty of the Season

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

I live in a region that experiences four distinct seasons each year. We are currently enjoying (and I use that word loosely) summer. It is currently hot and dry, which means I am constantly watering my outdoor plants to keep them alive. Still, I prefer summer’s heat to winter’s freezing blasts.

I suppose the “best” season depends on one’s preferences. I prefer the warm, mellow days of late spring to early summer. A friend enjoys cold, snowy days. We each get our favorite, just not at the same time.

Just as there are seasons in nature, life also holds seasons. We see this in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. At times we experience joy, but times of sorrow also come. Sometimes we need to boldly speak up, but in other circumstances silence is best. We may embrace things in life, but sometimes we must step back and let them go. We laugh; we cry. We hurt; we heal. Circumstances—seasons—change.

Shifting seasons come to everyone, even the child of God. Some are pleasant but others not so much. All form part of the natural rhythm of life. It is inevitable.

The word season in Ecclesiastes 3:1 can also be rendered as a set time or an appointed time. This season, or appointed time, is limited. Whether pleasant or difficult, the season will change, and another will come. We won’t always enjoy the warm sun of summer, nor will we always feel the bitter winds of winter. It is only a season.

How do we respond to our shifting seasons? Keeping these things in mind will help you through the difficult seasons of life.

• Recognize the season you are in.
• Face your season with patience, knowing it is limited.
• Realize God is at work in every season.
• Allow God to use this season to refine and polish you.
• Understand your season will be different from that of others.
• Look for the beauty in each season, even the difficult ones.

Regardless of our season, it is important that we stay connected to God. He will be the one to sustain us in each season we face.

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22, NKJV).

Because of our human nature, we sometimes struggle to understand God’s timing in responding to our difficult seasons. We may feel mired in place and think He has forgotten to show up. God really is there, working on our behalf in ways we may not see or understand. Ecclesiastes 3:11 shows us even when we do not recognize it, God will create something beautiful in whatever the season we find ourselves. Just be patient.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” (NKJV).

Regardless of the season you may be facing at this moment, look for the beauty hidden there.

Thank You, Lord, for walking with me through each season of life. Your faithfulness fills me with hope and lets me know You are at work in my life. Help me to find the beauty in this season. Help me to use this experience to learn the many wonderful things You desire to teach me.