(1) For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
(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, and 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.
(9) What gain has the worker from his toil?
(10) I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
(11) He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Sometimes the best thing about a season is that it will eventually end. Sometimes the worst thing about a season is that it will eventually end. But end it will!
There are many different seasons in life. Some seasons are joyous - like the season of having a baby. Other seasons are harder - like the season of handing a loved one over to the Lord. We can find comfort in knowing that the Lord has everything in His hands. He knows the seasons and He knows how to help us through each season. The season when a fruit falls to the ground and turns to compost seems harsh and unending, but the next season is when the seed within that fruit sprouts to bring forth a new tree - a new beginning! The fruit could never come without the fruit falling to the ground. It is similar with us. The Lord is preparing us for eternity (verse 11) and to produce fruit for His glory. He uses each season to prepare us for His will and purpose. Let us always hold on to hope in each season and trust that God is with us through it all.
It is good to remember that God will always be there, and nothing can separate us from His love.
Samuel Louwrens
