Seasons
Written by Grace Mwaura on June 12, 2023
We tell a story of a king who had four sons. At the peak of every season, the king would send out one of his sons to look at a particular cherry tree out in the forest. During winter, he asked his eldest son to go and see the tree and write a description of it. The prince described the tree as barren, aged, and hopeless. Not even birds are coming near the tree. It looks useless, and maybe better to cut it down and use the wood before it rots. In spring, the king asked his second son to visit the tree and write a description of it. The second prince described the tree as not barren but rather full of beautiful cherry blossoms and looking young and promising. Butterflies and bees surrounded the tree and were enjoying its flowers. In summer, the king sent the third, and when he returned, he described that there were no blossoms, the tree was loaded with delicious cherries and looked mature and valuable, and many birds were living on the tree and enjoying the fruits. Finally, in Autumn/Fall, the king sent his youngest, who described that the tree now had no fruit or flowers but looked beautiful with colored leaves with lovely shades of gold, red and orange. It looked like an ideal object for a painting. The king then asked his sons what they had learned. The youngest spoke up and said as the tree, we all experience different seasons of life that affect us significantly. We should not judge our life based on only the current season. Every season has a purpose and will change again.
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1
A season is a specific period in time, a certain period marked by specific (climatic) conditions. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, Solomon writes about different seasons in a man’s life and a time to every purpose. It gives man examples of seasons we’ll face: time for birth, death, weeping, and joy. It affirms two key reminders, the things we go through in life are not in vain, and our situations will not last forever. Solomon declares the seasons of joys and hardships, the high and the low seasons, the valleys of despair, and the peaks of honor. That is the ebb and flow of life that we can anticipate, and when we keep God at the center, the purpose will emerge, and refining our hearts will take place. Christians need to understand seasons like the sons of Issachar, who had the unusual gift to discern the times. In 2 Chronicles 12:32, the sons were acknowledged among David’s men that knew what Israel should do because they understood the times. Part of God’s extraordinary design of this earth’s seasons. Genesis 8:22 “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” We experience wet and dry seasons, the classic four seasons of winter, spring, summer, fall/autumn, and they are planting and harvesting seasons. We see creation moving through seasons each year, and we live through seasons as well. These seasons help us learn to depend on and come to expect things, and the bible is here to guide us through all these seasons.
Spring is a time of learning, opportunity, and fresh thoughts. Summer is a time of rewards, celebrations, and fulfillment where everything is blooming. Fall/autumn is a time of change, recognition of mistakes, and sometimes death of dreams or what we thought should be. Winter is a season of hibernation and other times of literal death. A time to slow down, reflect on what we have been through and prepare for the next season. These life seasons are intentional. We should acknowledge and count on God’s influence.
God is with us in the heaviest battles. He guides our steps from one season to the next. He sees what is ahead of us and will provide what we need. No matter what seasons lay behind or ahead of us, God is always present and leads us through each for His glory. The greatest hope we have in seasons of trouble or change is that God will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We may experience God’s timing as difficult or late or hard to understand or different than what we would expect or hope for, but truly Gods timing is perfect and always comes to pass in a way that will bring us goodness rather than hopelessness. When we wake up, we can trust that whatever seasons we are in is not by accident, nor will God allow it to unfold without bringing out a grander purpose and drawing us closer to him. Every season is purposeful in leading us into a deeper relationship with God and producing an unshakeable faith.
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Eduh Edwin On June 14, 2023 at 7:37 pm
I like it.. May God guide us in all times