Some days are better than others. Some years are better than others. Some seasons of life are better than others.

It’s easy to look back on seasons of life and feel sadness, longing, and wishfulness for what has been. Those were the good ol’ days!

I think this is especially true for those of us who have undergone loss. Our hearts desperately long for the days we shared with our loved ones who are no longer here. Oh, what we wouldn’t do to just have one moment with them again. It is also true for those of us who are estranged from family members for various reasons. Our hearts yearn for peace.

The Bible tells us to expect all kinds of contrasting experiences in life. Solomon, who had been specially gifted with wisdom, made this observation about our earthly existence:

“1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

This is the way life rolls…it’s the way our time on this planet was designed to be. Our lives play out in seasons.

True wisdom begins when we are able to accept this. When our souls can be at peace with the fact that some seasons of life are different than others. 

Of course, this does not mean to ignore our memories of the past, or to block out the hurt or loss that we may be experiencing. But it means embracing those memories, being thankful that we got to experience them, looking back on past seasons and smiling because God allowed us to feel such rich and wonderful times.

And it means looking for and focusing on the good in the season we are in right now. 

I am preaching to myself so much here!

This season let’s be thankful for the past, for every season of life God has given us. Let’s accept that seasons change, that life rotates, that times turn. Let’s embrace what God has given us this very day, the people he has put in our lives at this time, the goodness we are able to experience at this moment, and find joy in little things that come our way. 

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

God, you are so very good to us. Thank you for the seasons of life you have allowed me to experience. I am so grateful for each one of them. Help me to find joy in the season I am currently in!