Changes

As I strolled through the neighborhood this afternoon, so much was on my mind.  Here it is the middle of August and already the weather and the trees & bushes are changing.  It was like a fall day with the temperature in the 70s and drizzling throughout the day.

Some of the trees in the neighborhood are already turning red, brown with a hint of yellow.  I also noticed the shrubs changing and reminding me of fall foliage.

When I think of the change of seasons, the verse that always comes to mind is:

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven;

a time to be born and a time to die.....

a time to weep and a time to laugh....

a time to be silent and a time to speak....

a time to love and a time to hate...."  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

What does all of this mean?  Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes as he reflected on his life and how he had lived much of his life apart from God.  When Solomon became King, the one thing that he asked God for was wisdom.  God gave him all the wisdom that he needed and leaders from other nations came to Solomon to seek his advice and to learn from him.  Through all of this, Solomon became proud and forgot that God was the one that created him and gave him the wisdom that he asked for.  Even with all the wisdom, Solomon's life began to spiral and he didn't live what he taught.  In his last years of life, Solomon began to realize the mistakes that he had made.  He wrote Ecclesiastes so that others would realize that everything apart from God is empty, hollow and meaningless.

God does have a plan for each of our lives, however long we are on earth.  This morning I heard about a 17 year old girl who had died of cancer.  Even though her life was short, she lived it with hope and trust in Jesus.  One always thinks, why did God take her at such a young age.  I don't know and whom am I to question God.  I do know that God used her attitude and love for her family to show others how much you need to treasure each moment.

There have been days that I have cried my eyes out and then there have been times that I have laughed so hard, that I cried.  God's timing is everything.

As you go through the various changes in life, know that your life is like the changes of the seasons.  There is a reason and a purpose for all things.  Walk with God and allow Him to direct you through your own changes of seasons!