Change of Seasons

Change of Seasons

Good Thursday Morning;

Yesterday afternoon at 23:09 UTC,  Summer began if you are in the Northern Hemisphere.  Coincidentally it was 70 degrees in the Bitterroot for the first time in weeks, we are having an abnormally cold and rainy spring.  If you were concerned how quickly your summer is going you will be even more flummoxed by the news that each day from now until December 21, will be getting shorter and shorter.  And of course if you believe in Mayan Calendar interpretations so popular today, things will be very bad on December 21^st.

Yesterday was Wednesday, hump day…everything is downhill to the weekend, it was also the first day of summer and every day is downhill to the shortest day of the year in December.  As humans we are constantly trying to measure and partition off time to give it meaning and significance.  We have developed atomic clocks and now measure time in minute parts of minutes and seconds and coordinate the world time, UTC so that everyone can know precisely when an event is to occurs worldwide.

And then there is God.

Psalm 93:1-2

1 The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

2 Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity

God has a view of time that we can only in part grasp and yet that is the view that will most change the way we live our lives.

Ecclesiastes 3 is a famous Bible text about time.

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace

What we don’t so often read is verse 11:

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

God has set eternity in our hearts if we will take time to consider it.  We may not be able to fully understand all that God has done from beginning to end but we can grasp his plan for us in eternity.  It is important to stop the business of daily life and try to view events through God’s reality of eternity.  John 6:27 speaks to this;

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Our outlook on life totally changes when, after contemplating the eternal state we chose to follow John 5:24;

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

While we are still, every minute closer to a physical death of our bodies, we have the confidence of an eternity both with God and those who have also chosen to follow Christ Jesus.  We will have eternity and all that God has planned in it to enjoy.

Regular Joe

Related articles

• Summer Solstice and Our Wobbly World (news.discovery.com)
• Turn, Turn, Turn (brianndorris.wordpress.com)