Here in the Midwest we are at the end of summer. It’s been a very hot summer and pretty dry. Summer vacations are over. We’re a university community and the students have migrated back to campus, so our town has an entirely different feel than it does during summer. The local schools are back in session, and ministries are kicking into full-gear as church. Life is getting busy again.
Fall is a beautiful time of year here with many festivals to attend and enjoy the vibrant autumn colors of God’s creation. But it seems like just yesterday that my wife and I were admiring the first corn and soybean plants coming up from the earth. We love those tidy green rows!  Life seems to move by so quickly. Harvest is in full swing and the farmers are bringing in the fruit of the land. Soon winter will be upon us. Such is the rhythm of the seasons: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease”. Genesis 8:22

The Bible tells us that for everything there is a season:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what 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 seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, 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 for war, and a time for peace.”               Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There are seasons of life as well. I’m in a new season personally, having recently taken early retirement after nearly 38 years at my organization. You may be a in a very different season. Perhaps you are a freshman college student, adjusting to a new roommate, community and school. Perhaps you have taken on a new job, and are working hard to complete all of the required training and learn the job well. Or, perhaps you just found out that you are going to be losing your job soon due to downsizing in your organization. Perhaps you are a new parent, adjusting to the responsibilities and joy of parenthood. Perhaps you just got married and are adjusting to your new life as a couple and looking forward to a great life together. On the other hand, perhaps you just became a widow or widower and are finding your new life one of sadness and loneliness.
Whatever season you are in, you can take confidence in the fact that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). You can trust him because he is faithful. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7

What season are you in today?