Today’s Reading: Ecclesiastes 10 – 12
One chapter ends and another begins, and there is beauty to be found with each turning page.
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,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
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. – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Life is beautiful, and part of that beauty comes with the changing seasons. Summer will officially arrive next week with its heat and high humidity, and there is a new buzz of activity across the community from farmers markets to summer concerts. Families can be seen out riding their bikes, and the sounds of laughter and lifeguard whistles can be heard by the swimming pool. But summer does not last forever. We are only weeks away from stores filling their shelves with back to school supplies. Soon fall will arrive with all of its yummy smells and community festivals.
LIKE THE CHANGING OF THE CALENDAR, LIFE COMES WITH ITS SEASONS
As we look back, we see how our life is broken into intervals. Friendships come and go, jobs change, and life looks slightly different from one chapter of our lives to the next. College years, young adulthood, new parents, growing careers, youth sports leagues, summer camp, vacations, graduations, weddings, funerals…We blink and we go from having a newborn in our arms to having the chaos of coordinating family schedules to having the silence of the empty nest.
One chapter ends and another begins, and there is beauty to be found with each turning page.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. — Ecclesiastes 3:11-13
2021 brought many changes to our life. We had a daughter move away to go to medical school, a daughter graduate from college and get married, and a father pass away. We moved to a new state, started new jobs, and began a new chapter. Scott gave me a book by Patricia Heaton titled My Second Act and it changed my perspective about facing a new day. While in some ways it felt like I was losing my purpose because life as I knew it was coming to an end, this book helped me realize I was just entering into act two of a story that is far from finished.
THERE ARE STILL NEW CHARACTERS TO BE INTRODUCED, MEMORIES TO BE MADE, AND A STORYLINE TO BE DEVELOPED.
Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.
If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. — Ecclesiastes 11:4
Ecclesiastes has the potential to change our perspective on life. Every time we make our way back to this familiar book of wisdom, we are given the opportunity to step back and see how our life has evolved from season to season. It is okay to grieve the chapters that have come to an end, but I believe God wants us to look ahead with hope. Every chapter of our lives has come with its unique blessings, and this next one will also. So rejoice in where God has you today, and allow him to use you. Live with the confidence that this earthly life is nothing in comparison to the joy we will experience for an eternity when we place our hope in Christ Jesus.
LIVE WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES ARE STILL AHEAD.
Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning.
When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless.
Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.
Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. — Ecclesiastes 11:7 – 12:1a
Life is meaningless, but find satisfaction in it. This life God has given you is a gift — find new ways to show your appreciation for each opportunity He gives you. Yes, the day will come when our earthly chapter ends, but our life will not. When we take our last breath of humanity, we will experience Jesus like never before.
One chapter ends and another begins, and there is beauty to be found with each turning page.