There is a Season for Everything

By Lester Jones

This past summer, Marsha and I went camping with our grandchildren at Priest Lake in Northern Idaho. It is a beautiful area, about one hour from the Canadian border. The weather was perfect, but the water was freezing. (56°) Yes, we went swimming, but only because the grandkids insisted. We also took some short hikes in the woods. There was an area along the trail where several trees had been cut down, and the stumps were left to decay slowly.  I showed the grandkids how to count the growth rings to know the age of the trees.  Many were well over 100 years old.

One of the stumps had a charred circle in the middle of the rings.  We talked about how that might of happened. It appears that a forest fire left the charred ring in the tree about 50 years ago. (My grandkids were not impressed by my knowledge.) The tree had survived and continued to grow for many years.  Nobody would see the scars left by the fire until it was cut down and it’s past revealed.

What if we could view cut cross-sections of our life? What would the rings show? Perhaps the rings would reveal some dry seasons when growth was slow. Maybe we would see evidence of some harsh winters. The rings might reveal scars left behind by a fire, storm, or lightning strike. But just because one season leaves us scarred and burnt, does not mean we cannot recover and grow stronger. In fact, the difficult seasons give the wood extra strength. When the tree has to recover from disease or damage, it often heals stronger.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, Solomon says, “For everything there is a season.”  It seems like he is reflecting back over his life and honestly trying to sort out what really matters. Most of the things he chased proved to be meaningless. Even though he had success beyond our imagination, it only highlighted the emptiness of earthly accomplishments.

It is said that wisdom is wasted on the old and youth is wasted on the young. Maybe the years had helped Solomon sort out what is truly important. He says all of our human effort is like chasing the wind. He is tempted to be hopeless, cynical, and depressed. As he ponders all his disappointment, he keeps coming to the same conclusion. Apart from God, nothing matters.  Everything else is meaningless, like chasing the wind.

The leaves on the trees outside my window are changing colors.  The changing season stirs a mixture of emotions in my heart. Honesty, I am tempted to become melancholy. Changing seasons make me reflect on the passing of time. Maybe this is what Solomon was thinking about. Where did the Summer go? How did I get this old so fast? How many more Summers do I have?

I think God made leaves change colors before they die to remind us that everything is beautiful in its own time. There really is a season for everything. The beautiful colors of Fall are comforting and remind us that the changes are all part of God’s design.  We can trust that He has a design for every season of our lives, too. We must let go of the old to make room for the new. Only when we fully believe God will do something new are we able to enjoy the changes that Fall brings. I hope you see I’m talking about more than leaves and trees. Someone said often,

“He who has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him see and hear what the Spirit is saying.” (Jesus)

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (NLT)

We all sense in our hearts that we were created for something more. We have eternity embedded in our souls. Our soul instinctively knows there is much more than what we see now.  Our soul refuses to be satisfied with temporary things.  Solomon agrees!  He admits that all his earthly endeavors were meaningless, like chasing the wind.  Pleasure, wealth, possessions, and projects all fail to give soul satisfaction.  In fact, success in any area actually torments the soul of anyone who expects things to bring joy.  It’s like salt in a wound.  A person with wealth may become miserable knowing they should be happy when they’re not.

The friend of Job reviews several examples of God's awesome display of power in chapter 26. Then Job 26:14 says, "And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him!" We too only see the outer fringe of His works. We hear such a faint whisper of His eternal glory.

One day, when we see a cross-section of our years, we will be amazed at how God worked in all things. Even the burnt scars will be incorporated into the full scope of what God has done.

This verse from the song "Through it all" by Andrae Crouch speaks to my heart.

Click here to listen!

So I thank God for the mountains

And I thank Him for the valleys

And I thank Him for the storms He's brought me through

For if I'd ever had a problem

I'd never know that God could solve them

I'd never know what faith in God could do