God's Seasons

There is an appointed time for everything . And there is a time for every event under heaven -
A time to give birth and a time to die ; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted .
A time to kill and a time to heal ; A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh ; A time to mourn and a time to dance .
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones ; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing .
A time to search and a time to give up as lost ; A time to keep and a time to throw away .
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together ; A time to be silent and a time to speak .
A time to love and a time to hate ; A time for war and a time for peace .
What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils ?
I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.
He has made everything appropriate in its time . He has also set eternity in their heart , yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end .

The Scripture I turned to today was from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes--that famed book in which all of life's wisdom (and all of what mankind substitutes for real wisdom) is explored.

I turned to it today, because Kristi and I are in the midst of transition, of a time when we are feeling a variety of emotions.

We like the freedom of having Sundays to ourselves, to worship and not have to lead. We know it's only for a season, but that's okay, because God's Word makes clear that there is a season for allowing the land to rest, to take stock of oneself and to regroup and restore your body and spirit.

At the same time, we already find ourselves missing dear friends from the church family we've just left. Not that we don't plan to keep in touch, and not that we value them any less--but it seems to be God's season to lead us down different paths right now.

We are excited about the future and the many prospects that lie ahead of us right now. But no new venture--and no ending of an existing venture--comes without a degree of questioning and concern and hesitation.

Still, we know that God has ordained this season in our lives--that it is His mighty hand that has set this course before us, and that He will sustain and provide as He has always done, for the sake of His kingdom.

Pray for us, that we might make right choices, that we might remember our rightful place in God's order of things as servants, and that we might live in tune with the seasons God has ordained for our lives.

May God richly bless you today as you serve Him in your mission field!

--Steve