One of my sisters and I have been discussing the seasonality of our lives. I base my theories on the section of Ecclesiastes that the Byrds quote from in the song "To every season, turn, turn, turn." It's Chapter 3:
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time be 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."
Oh my goodness, that is just so beautiful and deep.
The reason I mention it is that I feel I am starting a new time in my life. A good and hopeful time. I really have used these verses as a comfort to me in what I recognized as a hard season. And one of my sisters (if not all of my sisters, come to think of it...) is having a bit of a hard season too. Sometimes we compare our hard seasons to the good seasons of others and that can be frustrating. I think if we know there is a spring coming after the winter, then we recognize that our trials are temporary and that the bitter snows can help create the beautiful gardens.
Amen