The Seasons Collection is inspired by meditations of Ecclesiastes 3:1-10.

The text reads:

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

I have been thinking a lot about the seasons God brings us into and through. Here are a collection of thoughts:

First, God is sovereign in all our circumstances. No matter if it’s a time of abundance or barrenness, the Lord has willed for you to walk through it. While walking through, you learn lessons and are sanctified towards his likeness. What care He has for us! He wants to teach us and save us from ourselves, not to leave us to our own ends. Wow, what praise we can offer Him, even in the most difficult circumstances, He is worthy!

Second, there are different types of seasons we go through. Sometimes they are brought around by changes in our life such as child leaving for college or a new job. Sometimes they are internal seasons brought by convictions through the word. Some seasons are short iterations, and some are long, requiring long suffering, discipline, and perseverance. Some seasons are full of fruitful abundance at every turn, while others are lonely and desolate. No matter what your season looks like, take heart and don’t compare yours to someone else’s. God is near to you and hears your prayers, no matter what season you find yourself in, remember there is reason and purpose.

Third, I’ve thought about the actual seasons in our natural world. I love how the seasons are predictable and faithful to come. I love how the seasons bring different temperatures, different activities, and even shift our moods. I love how each season has it’s purpose. Winter has to happen so that the ground can rest. Spring has to happen so that the earth can multiply. Summer has to happen so that the earth can mature. Fall has to happen to let the earth slow down before it’s slumber. These natural processes are worth thinking about and listening to. “God made four seasons, but only one spring”

Just as I know the winter weather will end eventually, I can take heart and remember that even if I’m walking through a “winter season” of the soul, I know the Lord will bring me through it’s purposes. And that gives me a lot of hope!