&noscript=1 />

The gift of seasons

A devotion on embracing God's divine beginnings, transitions and endings

One morning, I was working from my home office. My wife Joanne was about to take our 5½-year-old son Danny to school. She was also getting our two German Shepherds in our Suburban to take them to doggie daycare. When I stopped my work and went outside, Danny came to me and asked me to pray over him, which we do daily.

I said a few sentences of blessing over him, then loaded up the dogs for Joanne and hugged her goodbye. As they pulled out of the driveway, I reflected to myself, what a beautiful season. 

But it is a season. Everything in life is a season. In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon reminds us in his famous Biblical passage that there is a season for life and a season for death.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die ..." – Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

If we look at life as seasons, it can make endings more palatable. We can also enjoy and appreciate the current seasons even more.

Our tendency as humans is to forget (or be intentionally forgetful) that our life will end, and it can end at any moment. It’s interesting that when we go through beautiful periods in our life, we believe they will last forever. Likewise, when we go through difficult seasons in life, we fail to see that they too will end.

A sense of melancholy permeates the concept of seasons. A sad melody plays, suggesting everything beautiful will end.

However, this is reality. We need to accept it. Only then can we look at each season with the thought: what a beautiful world our Sovereign God created that gives us so many beautiful seasons to enjoy. 

Imagine what life would be like without seasons. I could still be an 8-year-old playing soccer in the parking lot of our church with my friend in a Karantina church. My grandpa Nehme would be 117 now and still sharing stories in a very loud voice because he refuses to wear his hearing aids.

See? Life without endings and devoid of seasons would simply not work. It would not be nearly as beautiful.

Whatever season you are in, enjoy it to the fullest. See its beauty and know that while it will end, other seasons will come, until eventually we will be with our Father in a season that will never end.

When we learn to be comfortable with the seasonality of life, we are able to withstand and enter into endings and transitions with grace and courage.

Seasons. It is the title for the beautiful symphony of life that God created.

Written by Dr. Wes Saade, Buckner International board chair and family physician.

Comments

Albert Reyes says:
An excellent word with just the right timing. Thank you, Dr. Wes Saade for serving as Chair of the Buckner International Board and as an advisor to me.

Add a Comment

Subscribe To Our Blog

Get uplifting stories of how you can shine hope in the U.S. and around the world!

We're excited to share with you all the ways you can shine hope to vulnerable children and families around the world. We invite you to stay connected with us while also growing in your own faith.

Click below to get the latest news, updates and invitations to exclusive events from Buckner. And, we'll send you spiritual encouragement through our weekly Faith Focus devotion. You won't find these stories and resources anywhere else!