Giver of Seasons
"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT)
"The sun is a big red ball just coming up. It's really beautiful, because the rest of the sky is cloudy."
My husband delivered this sunrise report the other day when he was just getting back from his morning run.
His observation reminded me of watching sunsets over Lake Michigan at one of our family's favorite campgrounds. We always commented that the most beautiful sunsets were not the ones set in clear blue skies but in skies with enough clouds to provide a backdrop for the sun.
I thought, too, about the road we live on as it is in early autumn. I love the way the first red and orange and yellow colors pop against what's still green. It's the contrast that grabs my attention.
Maybe this doesn't just apply to the weather or nature. In God's appointed times "for everything," our seasons often overlap and intertwine. When a season we enjoy is set against one we're glad to be done with, maybe we appreciate its beauty more.
Maybe we appreciate health more when it's set against illness.
Maybe we appreciate prosperity more when it's set against poverty.
Maybe we appreciate joy more when it's set against sorrow.
Maybe we appreciate friendship more when it's set against loneliness.
Maybe we appreciate peace more when it's set against turmoil.
Maybe we appreciate laughter more when it's set against weeping.
Maybe we appreciate light more when it's set against darkness.
For everything, a season.
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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!