With shorter days and colder temperatures, we are reminded that there is a purpose for every season (Eccl. 3:1-8). Yes, there is a time and a season for every event under heaven. Wisdom’s course is found in knowing the season and carrying out its corresponding responsibility.
Following the Flood, one of the promises made to Noah is found in Genesis 8:22, where we read: “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease.” The changing seasons provide a time for planting and a time for harvesting what has been planted. There is a time when we eagerly anticipate the coming of spring and a time when we look forward to an occasional white blanket of snow. As each succeeding season gives way to the next, we marvel at the glory and wisdom of God’s creative design!
Be assured also that there are seasons of life, each with unique opportunities, which must be grasped while they are present. Children are young but for a season and we need to seize the day and bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Otherwise, a new season will arise and they will be unprepared to meet its challenges. While we have opportunity, we must provide example and instruction to help our children handle the changing seasons of life. The value of a person’s life is not measured by material possessions or other such artificial standards, but by the treasures which we have stored up in heaven (Mt. 6:19-21). One of the best gifts we can pass on to the next generation is a positive outlook in facing each new season.
Our last change of season will be when we pass from this life into the next. Although that change is closer for some than others, we never know just when it will come to pass. However, death is not the end, as some suppose. It is a new beginning. Just as the dormancy of winter gives way to the vibrancy of spring, so also there are better things ahead for the child of God! The Bible says, “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hb. 9:28). The changing season from “life” to “after life” will not be a pleasant transition unless we have made proper preparation. The same author who told us that there is a time for every event under heaven also penned these words: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14).
The changing season remind us that life is headed toward judgment and we will be held accountable for how we have used the opportunities provided with each passing season. May God help us toward a heavenly vision and an eager anticipation of that day when we will live in an unchanging season of endless glory.
–Glen Elliott–