What Time Is it

“The seasons know when to change, the waves know when to ebb and flow, the sun knows when to set and rise and so we too must know what time it is.”

Loren Thornburg

Just as there are different seasons of nature so also there are different seasons in our own lives. As we watch the Olympics I am reminded of the different seasons that it took for them to get there. A time to work out and a time to rest. A time to go back to basics and a time to try something new. A time to practice and a time to compete. The problem comes when they work out when it’s time to rest or move on to something new when they aren’t ready. As a coach I know the problems of pushing when it’s time to let up, continuing to teach when it’s time to try it, or of moving on when it’s still time to master the foundational skill. Our personal lives and dreams have similar importance in the timing and seasons. The key to reaching our goals and dreams is knowing what time it is. It may be time to step out towards your dream, or time to wait for other things to fall into place, or time to rest all together, or time to push through, or a time to get back up from a fall, or a time to reach out, or a time to be alone. Like the athlete or the coach the problems come when we try to move past the season we are in before it’s time. We all go through different seasons of life, different ebbs and flows of our journeys. The key is knowing what time it is.

“There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven…”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT

The Creator of the seasons has created seasons in your own life. As you look back at your life you can see the ways different times marked different seasons. A season to work, a season to learn, a season to rest, a season to play, a season to wait, a season to move, a season to transition, a season to settle, a season to be satisfied, a season to be challenged. So now the question is what season are you in now? For when we see the season we know better what to do. When we know it’s winter we know to bundle up avoiding the danger of the cold. When we know it’s time to wait we know not to push avoiding the frustrations that brings or the fall of moving too early. Sometimes it may be clear what season it is and other times it may take some searching, but with each season God is at work. In the ebbs and flows, ups and downs, coming and going He has a purpose for it all. So whatever season you are in know that there is a time for everything, having passed through the hands of the maker of the seasons.