A Season of Life.

I am currently reviewing this book for a women's Bible Study group that I will be leading in the fall. It is about contentment and is based on Ecclesiastes. This weeks reading took me to one of my favorite passages: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

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,

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.

We make reference to the concept of this passage quite often at our house. We often say 'it is just a season of life' or 'that's the season of life we are in right now'. Usually this is said in reference to the age of our children and the things that go with this season. Things like naps, that don't always coincide with our plans to get out and do something.

We are actually in the middle of a few different seasons at our house. The kids stuff is usually the most prevalent, but not the only thing going on. Paul is in a 'time to search' and 'time to build' season of his business as he is restructuring, hiring and mapping a plan for the future. This is a scary, but exciting time for us, as we are possible watching God unfold an answer to my 'Big Prayer' for Paul's work. It is a process that has been talked about, but not acted on for quite some time as Paul's brother/business partner gets closer to retirement.

We are in a season with Paul's dad where it could possibly be the 'time to die'. He is 86 years old and in the hospital now, for the second time this month, battling pneumonia. He has mild congestive heart failure, which is what his sister died from about 5 years ago. It's one of those seasons of uncertainty, whether he will bounce back or not.

As Sage grows bigger, it is a 'time to keep and a time to throw away'. I am not a pack rat by any means, but it is hard sometimes to sort through all the baby things and just get rid of them. There are so many memories attached to things. Some are remembered for who they came from, some for where they were worn. With Sage's things, it has been especially hard to just get rid of the preemie clothes. They are so tiny, it's hard to believe they even fit. They are a reminder of how blessed we are that she was totally healthy, despite her early arrival.

Through all of these 'seasons' of life, I am so thankful for my faith and my faithful husband. Without these two things, the seasons would be a lot less bearable.