As a part of our series, Seize the Opportunity!, we are talking a lot about time, seasons, and opportunities. Last Sunday we focused on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, that contemplative poem about the seasons of life. Rather than letting the seasons of life pass and become “vanity,” the biblical writer encourages worshipers to interpret the seasons and maximize the opportunities within each one of them.
In my own time of reflection, I think about the seasons many of us are experiencing right now. Like in ancient times, it is still true that, There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: Ecclesiastes 3:1 MSG.
Actually life in the 21st century may have even more numerous seasons, and the changing of the seasons come more abruptly, if not concurrently. Perhaps if the poem were being written today, some of the seasons included would remarkably resemble the season you are in right now:
A time to celebrate and a time to lament,
A time to be single and a time to be married,
A time to keep your job and a time to transition,
A time to pray for healing and a time for comfort care,
A time of feasting and a time of famine,
A time to be gentle and a time to be firm,
A time of grief and a time of joy,
A time to be independent and a time to seek assistance.
A time to spend and a time to save.
A time to think it through on your own and a time to seek the counsel of others,
A time to plan and a time to implement,
A time to worship and a time to serve,
A time to be patient and a time to be aggressive,
A time to wait and a time to wait no longer,
A time to think and a time to feel,
A time to consider options and a time to make a decision.
A time to lead and a time to be led.
-A personal reflection on Ecclesiastes 3
I can hardly read Ecclesiastes 3 without thinking about Romans
Knowing that God is with us through all the seasons of life helps us to confront our challenges and seize our opportunities with courage and confidence.
This Sunday we will focus on Hebrews 9:27 and think about the life implications of, If I Should Die Before I Wake, a sobering call to make the most of the opportunities God sends our way.
