In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon said, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to sow and a time to reap." Such times are obvious in a garden. But they are also true in our lives. Of course, we know we are all born and we all die. But we also sow and then we reap.
Verse 4 continues, "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." Sometimes we may feel like all we're doing is weeping and mourning over some loss. But things will always turn around. We will laugh again. We will dance again.
I used to think that a person's life is like the seasons. Childhood and adolescence are like Spring, with rapid growth abounding. The 20s and 30s are Summertime, full of focused activity alternating with fun-filled lazy days. The 40s and 50s are like Autumn, full of harvest celebrations and hayrides in your lover's arms. And then comes the Winter, where we just wither and fade until we die. Now that I'm approaching 60, I want to move the boundaries a little to the right. I don't want to think that my days of production and fun are nearly over.
Maybe life is a little like that. But maybe we're more like the garden, with all of those things cycling around over and over again. Every year what has been previously planted grows green and lush. Then comes the time to focus on warmth and fun, while keeping an eye out for weeds that need pulling. Next the days of Autumn require the work of harvest, whether of good fruit or the clean-up of weeds and thistles. And Winter is a time to rest and reflect, replenish the soil of our hearts, prune what we want more of, and to decide what we want to plant for the next go round.
I know I've had a season of weeping and mourning the things that didn't work out the way I wanted. Now I'm planning for a harvest of laughter and dancing. It's time to get my bulbs in the ground. What are you planting?
Spending Christmas and New Years in snowy Boise, Idaho, has given me not only a new appreciation of living in Paradise, but an awareness of how incredibly beautiful Winter can be.
