To Everything There is a Season

To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

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

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

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 together;

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

A time to get, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew;

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

A time to love, and a time to hate;

a time of war, and a time of peace.

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:

also he hath set the world in their heart,

for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

And also that every man should eat and drink,

and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes

Turn, turn,turn. Change, Change, Change. Change is the only thing that remains constant.

After Galveston, Texas was hit with a massive hurricane in 1900, they made radical changes. They built high sea walls to protect the area prone to be hit, the also elevated the entire city by several feet. When another hurricane hit a few years later, there was minimal impact and damage.

In life, when the seasons turn and we are suddenly caught in a hurricane, we must choose how we respond and how we change to prevent the hurricanes of the future blowing into our lives, relationships, families, marriages.

If no changes are made, the winds of change will just knock you down time and again.

Change is frightening, uncertain and threatening but if we don't learn to adapt, we will never enjoy life.

Just today, I was frustrated and holding on to something although the seasons have changed. An old house I sold for a small profit of about 15% would now within five years made me about 85% - in just 5 years and I was regretting selling the house until I decided to let go after what my wife told me. Seasons change, and I need to let go.

Sometimes we think of happy times from the past and wish we were back in it. Why can't we be like when were were 15 years ago?

What do you consider the happiest season/time of your life? Do you often wish you were back in those times? How does your present life compare to it?

Having fond memories of good times is wonderful but also be aware if nostalgia is causing you to miss out on present opportunities.

I wish I was still working there? I wish I was still doing this? I wish I had kept that house? I wish I had travelled when I was younger? I wished I had left this country?

Dreaming and wishing for the future is great but don't let your wish to be something of the past to hold you back from the opportunities of today, of the present.

When you do get hit by a hurricane, if you feel like you are going through hell, keep moving ... eventually you will come out. If remember sometimes, go with the flow. If you cannot go through the hurricane, you are in a brink of losing hope because you cannot see anything through the storm and nothing can help you to get your bearings and you are about to give up, don't!

We tend to look at immediate problems and current collateral damage rather than any potential positive outcomes. We become negative, depressed and desperate to escape from the pain and discomfort of the hurricane rather than looking beyond the hurricane.

Remain calm, God does not cause painful changes in our lives, He uses them and brings good out of them.

When our ship is hit by a hurricane, we immediately start throwing our cargo. Cargo which we normally consider fragile and precious just gets thrown overboard because of our fear of the hurricane. We need to re-evaluate and not change our priorities when seasons change and we are hit by hurricane. What cargo would you throw overboard first and what would you keep and continue sailing?

We must learn to ride out the storms in our lives. And we must also learn when it is time to drop the anchor.

But with God as our Navigator, we will know when to ride with the storm and when to drop anchor and stand firm. Just as Lord Krishna was Pandav Prince Arjuna navigator and guided him to a victory despite facing a stronger storm of an army.

What storms are you facing in your life today? Are they making you stronger or blowing you apart? Remember, you don't get to choose the storms but you get to choose your response to these storms in your life. Choose wisely, to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.

Take care and be well.