Episode 91 - To Everything There Is a Season
During the course of our lives we go through many seasons – seasons of death and birth, creativity and stagnation, joy and sorrow, and many more. There is no schedule or specific duration of these seasons. We have to honor them as they arise. The outer world may want us to conform to its demands, but we don't have to conform. The world will go on. Our job is to walk the path that is laid before us. In this episode, we share our experiences with seasons that arise in our lives and how we moved through them. This topic was inspired by the very recent passing of Rev. Carol's father. There is some rawness to this one.
NOTES
The family legacy of my mom and dad - 60th wedding anniversary party in 2008:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
The world (obligations, schedules, commitments, expectations, people, etc.) wants you to conform to its demands
Lure you into bypass
But we don't have to conform
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
“I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”
Dialogue and Inquiry
Share a time in your life when you honored (or didn't honor) the season you were in. What happened in you and the world around you?
How can you be mindful of the season that another person is in - discerning what is yours to do or say?
What is Ecclesiastes 3 telling you?
Which one of these statements in this biblical poetry stands out for you today? Why do you think that is? What is up for you?
Closing Thought
Life is a big thing. It includes the dichotomies of joy and sorrow, birth and death, creativity and stagnation, and so many others. The outer world may try to seduce us into bypassing the path that lies before us. But Life Itself calls us to experience each season fully, not indefinitely dwelling in it, but also not moving to the next before its time. I honor every season, knowing that each one – whether my ego deems it pleasant or unpleasant – is important and to be fully embraced. As I walk my path, the presence and power of God within keeps me grounded, centered, and comforted.