There was a hit song in the 1960s called "Time of the Season." It had a swinging beat and lyrics. It's about a man trying to attract a woman into a relationship. At one point, the man says, "It's the time of the season for loving."
I remember going to a youth conference out in California some years ago. I was expecting to hear from churches with picture perfect youth programs, while I have never been a part of a picture perfect youth program. Instead, the leaders were...quite honest. They talked about the successes and failures of what they had done. They kept bandying about a certain word: "season." They said things like, "Well, we went through a rough season there for a while, then we entered a new season."
Seasons. At the Hewitt household, Diane and I have four little paintings that we are very proud of. They are a set. Each portray a different season, presumably in northern New England (because of the sap coming from them in one portrait). It's a house and trees. In the first one, It's all green and spots of yellow (dandelions). In the next one, it's all deep green. In the next, orange, gold, and brown. In the final one, a frosty white. All four seasons, expertly presented.
Seasons. My family and I have gone through a certain kind of season this summer. We will always remember this summer, characterized by a loss of a close family member, a broken leg, time spent traveling to Illinois and recuperating, everything a bit helter skelter and different. As a pastor, I've watched many, many others go through times like this, and sometimes I wondered how I would fare.
I think it's helpful to see times like these as seasons, for several reasons. God seems to think so, too. In Ecclesiastes, we read: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal...." (Eccl. 3:1-3) There's more. What is God trying to say here?
One thing I think God is trying to say is "this, too, shall pass." Notice in this passage how good and bad things are pared together, when we often keep them apart. In our human-ness, we often think "things are going great" and they will always be great, or "things are really bad," and they will always be bad. But God says there's always a mix. God says we should not get too elated, nor too depressed. Usually we say "This, too, shall pass" when things are difficult; but it's also true when things are going swimmingly.
No matter what is going on, the writer of Ecclesiastes wants us to look beyond the "present circumstances" to what God is doing "behind the scenes," to look to "the purpose under heaven" -- how things can contribute toward God's ultimate purpose. For instance, can breaking a leg lead to better overall health? Can a death in the family bring that family together, or break it apart? What does God want for me, for us?
Just last Sunday we were singing at 9:30 and old familiar song, "Sweet Hour of Prayer." In the midst of singing, a particular phrase stuck out. It really applied to my life at that moment, and maybe to yours. "In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief, and oft escaped the tempter's snare, by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!"
Whether it's by prayer or thoughtful meditation, let's take whatever we are going through in "this season," whether "good," "bad," or "both," and ask God what we are to do next, in response. Then we will treat this particular "season" in our life with Him the best way possible, by His grace.
David Hewitt
