Have you had an opportunity to read Perry Soh’s book, Seasons of Change? If you haven’t, I would highly recommend it! Elder Perry was one of the founding members of Lifespring, and he shares about the origins of the church and how his own life story intersects with the life of the church. It’s a story of God’s faithfulness, and this faithfulness continues today in the Lifespring family.
As I think about the title Seasons of Change, I’m reminded of how life often unfolds in seasons. One of the best known Bible verses about this is from Ecclesiastes 3. Verse 1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” It then lists all kinds of seasons in life: a time to plant and uproot, a time to tear down and to build, a time to weep and laugh, a time to keep and to throw away, and so on. One of the things I love about such wisdom literature is how practical the teachings are. There truly is a season and time in life for everything. Every season in our lives is marked by different features, and part of living life well is understanding the season we are in.
I can see the differences in seasons in my own life. Back when I was in school, my main responsibility was to study. My life schedule was shaped around my school schedule. Being single and living at home, I had few responsibilities and time to pursue other interests. This was a completely different season from the months after Sophia was first born. For the first month, my life revolved around Sophia’s schedule. Whether it was feeding, sleeping, visiting the doctor, or caring for a newborn, almost all other areas of my life came to a standstill as Theresa and I focused on becoming new parents. This was completely different from the current season of life we are in. Now that both kids are older, they require less attention, yet responsibilities of work, maintaining a household, teaching, and study have taken a front seat.
Every season in life comes with its own opportunities and challenges. When I was a student, school was extremely challenging and consuming, yet I had the opportunity to grow as a leader in the church. When I first became a parent, it was challenging when life switched to revolving around my child, yet this was one of the most rewarding parts of life. In my current stage, it is a challenge to find time to meet my different responsibilities, but I have opportunities to serve more people.
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 says,
“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.”
These are such wise and powerful words.
Part of being happy and doing good in every season of life is understanding the season that we’re in. In one season of our lives, perhaps our careers and interests take a front seat and we benefit from the opportunities that are given to us. In another season, perhaps we need to care for our relationships and loved ones more, and our interests and time goes toward this. Perhaps in another season we have more time, and are able to rest well and invest our energy in other ways.
Part of the wisdom of Ecclesiastes is to make the most of every season of our lives. We also know that in the difficult seasons, no season lasts forever. There is something to learn from every season in our lives, and may we learn to pay attention to God’s voice in every season as we mature and grow in our faith and as people.