July 6 – A Time for Good (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

“A time to be born . . . To plant . . . To heal . . . To build.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:2-3)

IN WORD:
We have no trouble seeing God as the source of life, health, and happiness. But those who are alienated from God, both within the body of believers and without, may consider themselves excluded from such blessings. For people whose lives have been marked with pain and strife, the blessing of God seems far, far away. Perhaps they’ve even lost sight of the benevolent, loving God. Perhaps they’ve grown hopeless.
Dark seasons in a person’s life will do that. They will obscure the goodness of God and make us think that we’re all alone in this world. They turn faith into skepticism, hope into cynicism. In the dark night of uncertainty, people who once held onto God will either hold Him tighter or let go altogether. When the temptation to let go comes, it’s important to remember: There’s a time to be born, to plant, to heal, to build. There’s a time for life and blessing. There’s a season for the goodness of God in the life of one who believes, and it’s certain to come.
A popular interpretation of this passage — perhaps aided by the melodies of past generations — implies that a season for everything means we can take just about any approach to life we choose. “A time for everything” can mean, if misinterpreted, that anything goes. But the heart of this passage is all about discernment. It keeps us from becoming proud and reckless during times of prosperity and from becoming dark and dreadful during times of scarcity. It keeps our perspectives in balance so that we don’t get too high during high times or too low during low times. And it reminds us to discern the difference, knowing that our actions depend on the big picture of changing seasons, not on the weather today.

IN DEED:
If you are a believer going though a low time, know that it will end. God has His seasons, and many of them are good. He never deprives His children of all good seasons. The light will come, the cold will thaw, and God will bless your life — in its time.

“See that you are not suddenly saddened by the adversities of this world, for you do not know the good they bring.”
-John of the Cross-