Never in the history of humanity has so much consumption and desire been so easily accessible at the push of a button. It is a marvel of our generation, and in that marvel are the presumptions of instant gratification that we often and wrongfully believe are normal and permissible before God. It’s not.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we frequently find the Word of God using life’s natural systems and features to teach us. Solomon learned wisdom by watching an ant (Proverbs 6:6). Jesus used images of shepherds, farmers, pearl divers, and home builders to impart wisdom from the heart of God in his parables.
One of the most subtle lessons we learn from the natural systems of creation God designed is the reality of seasons. Summer, spring, winter, and fall, there are requirements and expectations for every season of the year.
Similarly, there are requirements and expectations for every season of life.
He is like a tree planted beside streams of water
that bears its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Psalm 1:3
Frequently young people in the springtime of life long for the fruit of the summertime of life. The world around us tells us the mechanics of instant gratification should make that desire a reality. But God designed life with seasons. There is a season for planting seeds, a season for cultivating our life, and a season for reaping the harvest.
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NKJV)
When we recognize the seasons of life and live faithfully to the design of God, that is how we secure the blessings of happiness that endure. As Psalm 1:3 explains, the person who lives aligned to the timing and design of God, his leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
