To everything there is a Season…but what is a Season?

I am fascinated by the changing of seasons. More accurately, I’m fascinated with Autumn and Spring since those are shorter here in the lowcountry, but still love to see the changes in nature with every season. Maybe because I have been thinking about a cooler season (fall leaves and pumpkin-everything) the word also jumped out to me during one of my quiet times last month.

While I was exploring Psalm 1:3, a simple phrase became obvious I had missed before:

“And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season…”

Those three little words - in its season – made me pause to think about how often I rush into the next project or idea without asking God if it’s the right season. Then, (as God is apt to do) it seemed as if scriptures or songs about seasons were jumping out at me over the next few days. After a deep dive in the Bible, I found at least 32 references to seasons.

Being the statistics nerd that I am, I categorized those references and found they fell into three main teaching elements about seasons:

What does this mean for us personally? Going back to my favorite passage from Ecclesiastes 3…one I’ve sung since the 70’s to the tune The Byrds coined:

To everything (Turn Turn Turn) There is a season (Turn Turn Turn) And a time to every purpose, under heaven. A time to be born, a time to die A time to plant, a time to reap, A time to kill, a time to heal, A time to laugh, a time to weep.

There are seasons for everything in our world and our life. Some of the seasons we can predict or know (in its season or appointed season) and others we trust God for the timing (in due season or prolonged seasons). For the timing of things in my life, I want to ask God:

“Is this the right season for _______?“

“If this is not the season, will You prompt me when the appointed season is here?”

Mostly, I have a new reverence and awe about God’s timing of seasons and want to pay attention more to how He is trying to teach me through the seasons of our earth and the seasons of life. I'll leave you with these questions to meditate on:

How will you look differently at seasons?

How is God leading you to treasure a season or wait on one?