"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent 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
Sometimes it can feel that the world is conspiring against us to make things difficult. I've felt very much this way recently, with several difficult situations all coming at once, the sum of which has been quite draining and difficult to handle at times. I've found myself wondering "Why me?" or looking at others and thinking "Why do they have it so easy?" Other people's lives have seemed simpler and less stressful than mine. In reality this probably wasn't the case, but it was easy to look at others and wish I was them sometimes.
God has a unique road in mind for you, which may be totally different from that of the person you are comparing yourself with. The passage above reminds us that there are many seasons, many different times and troubles we may find ourselves in. The flip side of those verses is that there are also the good times and the positives to look forward to. God's rhythms and seasons are different for us all; so do not fall into the trap of comparing yourself with somebody in an opposite season to you. If you're in a difficult season the person in a less difficult season will seem very appealing to you and will stand out. The comparison of their life with yours could once again have you trapped and leave you feeling less than settled. But one day soon those seasons will change for you both, just as the verses have promised. Be sure to take on board both parts of the promises – God is with us in the good times and the troubled times, and each is a season destined by Him.
Lord God, please help me to stay close to you and keep my eyes on Jesus, not on other peoples' lives. Thank you for the promise that you are with me through every season of my life, and thank you for all the lessons I can learn as I travel the seasons with you by my side. Amen
Corinne Mason
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