Changing Seasons

Today is the last full day of winter. "Spring comes in between the 19th to the 23rd of March and at different times. It changes on a yearly basis because the first official day of spring is the (Spring) Vernal EQUINOX. This is when the sun is directly above the equator. It rises due East and sets due West and does not do so on the exact same day every year since the calendar is not exactly 365 precise days every single year. In 2009, spring will arrive on March 20th, as stated above and the sun will be above the equator, crossing to the northern hemisphere at 11:47pm (ish)." (From WikiAnswers.com)

I know there are people in other states that are celebrating! It has definitely been a cold winter, even cold for us in So Cal, although it was 90 yesterday! Since we've had quite a bit of rain this year, our hills are green and it's beautiful. And I'm looking forward to my roses blooming soon.

The changing of seasons, and a conversation I had a couple weeks ago, had me thinking about the word "season." When we think about weather, seasons are usually the same each year. But life seasons are a different story. There were many definitions for the word season, but this one stood out the most:

"an indefinite period of time"

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 states

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break 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 cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

The Hebrew word season in this case is defined as "an appointed occasion."

Hebrews chapter 11 verse 25, speaks of Moses, "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." The Greek definition of season here is "for the occasion only, that is, temporary." A person may enjoy the "pleasures of sin for a season" that is their entire lifetime - in view of eternity, a lifetime is temporary.

Unfortunately we can't know how long a season in our life may last. I've read several bloggers writing about their "season of singleness." Mom's "season" of cancer lasted for 8 years. For some, the "season" of childhood ends too quickly. There are seasons of sorrow that cannot be defined, it seems that season will reappear when we think we're over it. There are seasons of doubt and guilt that last longer than they need to when we don't accept the forgiveness that God offers.

Whatever season you are in, there is an additional verse in Ecclesiastes that you can believe: "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time."