A little different approach to this week's post. Let's focus on spiritual development and reflection! So get out your bible and a notebook. Here we go!
A TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall
What's your favorite season of the year?
Some people come alive in spring. The scent of flowers blossoming, the sight of lime-green leaves, and the sound of baby birds chirping all tend to remind us of the gift of new life.
Others adore summer. The long days of this season encourage us to get out and about. Summer invites us to become more active and engage in our neighborhoods and communities, embracing the warmth of the sun, the splash of cool waters, the gentleness of shade on a hot day.
Still others enjoy fall. Cooling temperatures, the crunch of colorful leaves, and the occasional whiff of smoke from a neighbor's chimney are all reminders that change is in the air. The new life that budded in spring has come to a beautiful end. Fall invites us to unpack our snuggly warm clothes and enjoy gathering indoors again.
And still others love winter. The crisp, cool days are short; the colder starry nights are long. This is where the end-of-the-year holidays await. Winter beckons us indoors, often slowing our pace and inviting us to rest.
Though we may have a season that's our favorite, every season offers something different to appreciate and celebrate. Reflecting on the changing of seasons reminds us that everything has its appointed time. Every season is hand-selected by God for a particular purpose.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon echoed this idea when he wrote that an appointed time, an actual season, exists for every activity under the heavens (3:1).
Consider what Solomon observed: (Ecc. 3:2-8)
2 a time to be born,
and a time to die;
a time to plant,
and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill,
and a time to heal;
a time to break down,
and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep,
and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, a
nd a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace,
and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek,
and a time to lose;
a time to keep,
and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear,
and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence,
and a time to speak;
8 a time to love,
and a time to hate;
a time for war,
and a time for peace.
Though we may have a natural affinity toward one season over another, each and every one is hand-selected by God for a particular purpose. As we learn to accept these times in life as gifts, we find ourselves celebrating the goodness of God no matter what the situation we are in.
1. What is your favorite season: spring, summer, fall, or winter? Why?
2. Reflecting on the four seasons, which one best describes your life situation right now?
King Solomon, known for his vast wisdom, wrote a poem in Ecclesiastes that describes God's role in the timing of life's seasons. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is best understood as Hebrew poetry and more specifically as a form of parallelism in which the author uses opposites and antonyms to describe and illustrate the author's point. Solomon illustrated that nothing can be done without depending on and acknowledging God.
3. Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 again. In the space below, write down the five times in Solomon's list that you most enjoy. Write down the five least enjoyable times of life that Solomon lists.
Times You Most Enjoy: Times You Least Enjoy:
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.
We all have seasons in life that we prefer more than others, but each one provides an opportunity to learn something more about God. Each of life's seasons or situations provides the opportunity to learn more about God and His presence in our lives.
In the book of Acts, Paul and his traveling companions found themselves in a sticky situation and a difficult time in life and ministry. Paul was given a vision of a man standing and begging him to travel to Macedonia, help the people, and preach the gospel to them. Paul knew that God wanted him to travel to the region (Acts 16:8-10)
Wait--did you just read where that was in the Bible or did you actually go there and read it for yourself? Take a second, read Acts 16:8-10.
Along the way, Paul and his companion, Silas, were thrown in prison for setting a woman free from an evil spirit. They were beaten and locked up. This is one of those times in life no one wants to sign up for. Yet look what happened next.
4. Read Acts 16:16-25. How did Paul and Silas respond to this inconvenient, uncomfortable, and unpleasant time in life? What surprises you most about Paul and Silas's response?
Paul and Silas were sentenced to flogging and prison for "teaching customs which are not lawful for... Romans" (vs 21). Little did the accusers know that these two men were also Romans. The accusers assumed that Paul and Silas were of a different nationality and adhered to different customs, but both Paul and Silas were under Roman rule. Roman citizens would never have received the beating and treatment that these two received.
5. How do you tend to respond when you're faced with an inconvenient, uncomfortable, and unpleasant time in life? What can you learn from Paul and Silas's response?
The two men didn't complain or abandon the cause but began praising God in the middle of a difficult circumstance. In response, God did something miraculous.
6. Read Acts 17:26-34. How did God reveal Himself in the midst of the difficult situation Paul and Silas found themselves in?
The jailer desired the same faith as Paul and Silas and begged to know what he needed to do to be saved. Paul and Silas assured him that nothing needed to be done, but he should simply believe. Everything had already been done on his behalf by Christ.
7. When you're facing a difficult time in life, do you expect God to reveal Himself to you in an unexpected way? Why or Why not?
On occasion, God allows us to experience undesirable times or situations in life, but He remains with us. Even in those times we can choose to call out to God and worship Him in the midst.
8. Reflecting on the season that you're in, what do you think God is revealing about Himself to you? What opportunities do you have to call out to God and worship Him?
Every season of life provides an opportunity to learn something more about God. Though we don't always get to choose our season of life, we can always choose to call out to God and worship Him in the midst.
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Want to dig deeper? Here's something extra for you!
Few people in the world can compare their difficult time with Job's-a man stripped of all his possessions, many of his loved ones, and even his health. The first 37 chapters of Job describe Job and his friends wrestling theologically over why Job had to suffer. Starting in Job 38, God's response revealed He cannot be contained in a theological box. Read Job 38:1-8. How would you have responded if you were Job and God was asking you all of these questions? What comfort do you find in knowing that God created all things and holds all things together? Spend some time thanking God for His tender care of the minutest details of your life.
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Bonus Activity!
Spend 15 minutes each day this week worshiping God. Before you log on to the computer or your phone or snuggle in for a good night's sleep, turn on your favorite worship album. Sing praises to God or read the words to your favorite song. Write prayers in a journal or enjoy time in nature. Spend time reflecting on how God is revealing Himself to you during this season and praise Him for what He is doing-seen and unseen-today and every day.
-Love you all,
Pastor Tiffany
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