We all go through seasons of life. Some of them are short. Some of them are long. Some are painful. Some are joyful. Some we chose for ourselves. Some we wouldn’t choose in a million years.
This week I went to Methodist Hospital and held a little baby. The boy weighed about seven pounds. For several years he will be physically dependant on his parents and others to care for him. For several years after that he will be emotionally and relationally dependant on others to care for him. He is in the season of infancy.
I took my nine year old son, Benjamin, swimming one night this week. He is entering the season of youth. I look at the pictures of him when we moved here five years ago. He has transformed from a little boy to a big boy. He doesn’t play with trains much anymore. He builds Legos nowadays. He even watches television shows with people in them and not cartoons characters.
A senior-to-be in college and I went running early one morning. He and I talked about life. In the next year he will be moving from being college-aged to being an adult. I talked to him about what I’ve figured out about life. About things I would do the exact same over and over again. And about things I wish I had done differently. I know, however, he will have to figure out some things for himself. After all, that is one of the things adults do.
Thursday night, I had pizza with a young couple (I won’t give names, but he is the bass player in the band and she sings and plays the violin) who are going to get married next month. I shared with them the four habits of highly dysfunctional relationships. I listened to their hopes and dreams. It was a joy to see their excitement as they are getting ready to move into their next season of life.
I wore my robe twice this week. One time for the funeral of a good man and a friend. He was in his 80s and had been married for over 60 years. Last Sunday morning, shortly after our worship service ended, he breathed his final breath. His new season of life is eternal life with God. A state of life where God will wipe every tear from our eyes. No more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).
The other time was a wedding Saturday night. Brad Krebs and Julia Lyons got married at Dietz Memorial United Methodist Church, a beautiful site for a wedding. It has been a pleasure to see them move from a season of dating to a season of being engaged to the new season of marriage.
Solomon writes: For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. –Ecclesiastes 3:1
Right now you are in a season of life. It may or may not be one I described above, but you are in a season. You won’t be in this season forever. Learn from the seasons of yesterday. Embrace today’s season. And prepare for the seasons of tomorrow.
The best seasons are yet to come…
Craig
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