Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 The Message Bible
About this time every year, the snow season begins to wind down. The snow gets slushy, the walk to the lift gets muddy, and I get sentimental for the season that, once again, is about to end. I often look back, count my days on the hill, and realize I didn’t get as many as I wanted. I have come out of a very busy season of work and holidays, and I am often quite drained. The end of the season is a blessing, despite it seeming like a curse.
Whatever was, is. Whatever will be, is. Sit in the midst of those realities and enjoy them both. We were made for eternity; rest in that.
The verses referenced above is to have been written by King Solomon in the later seasons of his life. He may appear to have a gloomy outlook on life, but on further study, I feel like his words are encouraging us to relax and be where we are. Like Garth tells Wayne in Wayne’s World, “Stop torturing yourself man. Live in the now.”
We are here. We GET to be here. This life is a gift. Here, now, is a gift.
As we enter into the spring season, I am reminded by this verse that everything has a time and place given to us by God( “He has set eternity in their heart” Ecclesiastes 3:11). We were created to desire the future. The snow will melt and the next season will begin. The anticipation for fall’s first snow will come. Without the melt, there will be no anticipation of the first snow in the fall!
Challenge
What are you most looking forward to as the physical seasons change over the next few months?
What might you still be holding on to in your life that may be holding you back from enjoying the next season of life?
How do you look to future seasons? (physical seasons and seasons of life) With anticipation, fear, anxiety, joy?
By Shawn Gruenhagen | Denver, CO