A Season for Every Purpose Under Heaven

If someone were to ask, “Can you name the four seasons?” many of us would probably respond, “Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.” However, fans of singer-songwriters Simon & Garfunkel in the 1960s might answer, “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,” recalling their hit tune by the same name.

 

And for those who loved music predating the folk-rock duo by a few years, their answer might be, “Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi” – the original members of the singing group, The Four Seasons, with hit songs like “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man.” 

 

Spring, summer, autumn and winter are just
some of the seasons we encounter in life.

Of course, there are lots of other seasons, including: football, baseball and basketball; hunting and fishing; and the holiday season, with Halloween already past and Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s looming ahead.

We encounter many different seasons over our lifetimes. At the moment, we’re in the midst of autumn (or fall, if you prefer). The leaves started changing colors weeks ago and are now tumbling to the ground, forcing many of us to get our rakes and leaf blowers out of mothballs. But every one of us is in a different season of life, ranging from infancy and toddlerhood to the teen years and adulthood. 

 

Even for adults, we’re not locked into one season. There are the early years of finding a job, getting married, having kids, becoming established in a career, then preparing for and entering retirement, and finally, adjusting to the joys and challenges life as a senior citizen.

 

This reminds me of another tune from the ‘60s, “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” composed by Bob Seeger and popularized by The Byrds. You might recall its recurring refrain, “To everything turn, turn, turn, there is a season turn, turn, turn, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” 

 

Interestingly, Seeger acknowledged he wrote only a handful of words in the song: “turn, turn, turn,” and “a time for peace, I swear it’s not too late.” Written during the height of the Vietnam war, with tragic reports daily of soldiers killed in battle, it reflected a desperate cry for peace to be restored.

 

The rest of the song, amazingly enough, was taken directly from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which reads:

“To everything there is a season 
And a time to every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to reap;
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; 

A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; 

A time to gain, and a time to lose; 

A time to keep, and a time to throw away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time of love, and a time of hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace.”

Seeger rearranged some of the words to fit the rhythm and rhyme of his song, but as the passage from the Bible’s wisdom literature states, “to everything there is a season – and a time for every purpose under heaven.” It’s just as relevant today as when King Solomon wrote it thousands of years ago. Beginning each new day, it would be helpful to consider exactly what season of life we happen to be in and what it might take to fulfill its “purpose under heaven.”

 

The interesting thing is, as we encounter each new “season,” we never quite know what to expect. You’d think that after navigating the various stages of our younger years we’d be able to relax and think, “Ah, now I’ve got it made.” But as I have learned and continue to learn, each new stage brings adventures and conundrums of its own. Reminds me of the fellow who was asked by his doctor, “How are you doing?” He replied, “I don’t know – I’ve never been this old before.”

 

This brings to mind another passage, Ephesians 5:15-16, which admonishes us to, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” This isn’t saying a 24-hour day in itself is evil, but once it’s gone it can’t be recaptured. So, we should try to make the best of it.

 

Some days – and seasons – seem like a breeze, no sweat. Others pose adversities we could never have imagined. But the Scriptures teach that God can use every season of life, whether it’s easy or difficult, to work in us as well as through us for His eternal purposes and our ultimate good.