A series of coincidences began about ten days ago when I decided I wanted to listen to an old album on Spotify. When I went to work on my juggling at the Bridgton Community Center, I searched out "The Byrds Greatest Hits" on my iPad.  I was particularly craving to hear "Chimes of Freedom", but was especially pleased to get reacquainted with their song 3D. (This forgotten gem is worthy of its own blog that I may write some day.)  I knew, of course, that their song "Turn,Turn, Turn" would be on the album.  This song, based on Ecclesiastes 3, was, after all, one of their biggest hits, but I wasn't particularly seeking it out at the time. This is the song with the famous refrain,"To everything, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn turn, and a time to every purpose under heaven."  Then Spotify suggested that I might also like "Roger McGuinn Live in Spain" . Since McGuinn is a founding member of the Byrds, it was no surprise that "Turn, Turn, Turn" was on this as well. Nothing really astonishing yet.

Then, a few days later I was driving home alone and caught a radio preacher, and guess what passage he was preaching on... Ecclesiastes 3 of course. Now let me first point out that while I'm not opposed to radio preaching in principle, it's not a genre of radio I seek out. But once I heard him (whoever he was) expounding on these words of King Solomon, I didn't want to stop.  He discussed the contrasting parallelism of the chapter: "A time to rend and a time to sew; a time of war, a time of peace..."  Beautiful poetry and profound in its simplicity and directness.

Then, during our staff prayer time one morning this week, the devotional piece we shared discussed Ecc 3 as well. Finally, last night "Last Man Standing" came on TV. If you're not familiar with this, it is a TV sitcom, and, while it has its moments, we didn't specifically seek it out last night, it just came on after what we had previously been watching.  Somewhere in the script, Mike Baxter is speaking with his pastor who quotes Ecc 3, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven."  It finally hit me that God, Roger McGuinn and Tim Allen might be trying to tell me something.  But what?

Clearly one way it applies is that my wife and I are on the verge experiencing the empty nest. Our youngest daughter, Rose, will be leaving for college in six months. That is certainly going to launch us into a new season in our marriage.  Our oldest girl is getting married in July, which will be a bit of a new season As well. Perhaps there are other turning points coming our way too that we are not yet aware of; I don't know.

Furthermore, I find much comfort in this passage.  It reminds me that God ordains all seasons of life. Our times to cry are just as much under Gods sovereignty  as our times to laugh. Our times to refrain from embracing are just as much under Gods sovereignty as our times to embrace.  And these times are all intentionally leading us somewhere.

And seasons are not brief.  They change slowly from autumn to winter to spring to summer.  So many times I want God to work immediately, but he does not operate a fast food drive through.  He works through seasons. Healing happens slowly, growth happens slowly, understanding happens slowly, friendships develop slowly.  The fruits of the Spirit mature slowly just as surely as the fruits we harvest in the fall need to develop and grow through long spring and summer days and nights. Fruit cannot be rushed and is always worth the wait.

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.