Ecclesiastes 3

It’s only for a Season

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11

If you were born before the year 2000, you may recognize this passage that once was a popular song by the Byrds back in the 1960s.  Actually, it was even before I was born, though I have heard it many times.

This passage starts with a list of seasons that we go through in life and specifies that there is purpose in those seasons.  Then verse 11 explains that God makes everything beautiful in the right timing.  I know it is hard to see when you are in the middle of a crisis, but if you can take a step back as you commit what you are going through to Him, you can be comforted knowing that it is only for a season and soon you will be on to the next season, good or bad.

I have had many seasons in my life, and it was the same.  Some good, some bad, some both.  There were times of great joy and accomplishment, and times of heartache and uncertainty. I remember when I experienced the loss of a younger family member. The grief felt unbearable, and it seemed like the pain would never end. But as time passed and I allowed God to work within me, I found hope of healing and restoration. That season, though painful, brought a deeper understanding of God’s comfort and strength. On the other hand, I’ve also had seasons of celebration, promotions reached, opportunities opened, and dreams realized. In those moments, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness and the joy that comes from walking out His purpose.

Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that life is full of change, and every season serves a purpose. There is a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to plant and a time to harvest. Even when we don’t understand the reason behind our current circumstances, we can trust that God is at work. He is weaving together a greater story than we can see.

The most important thing to remember is that our seasons are not just for us. Every experience we go through can be used to help others. God doesn’t waste our pain or our joy. He uses it to equip us to walk alongside those who find themselves in similar situations later on after we have healed. When we’ve experienced loss, we can comfort others with the same comfort we received from God. When we’ve celebrated victories, we can encourage others to keep believing and pressing forward. Our testimonies become the very lifeline someone else may need in their season of struggle.

So how can we navigate these changing seasons? First, embrace the present season. Whether it is a time of growth, rest, challenge, or joy, ask God to show you what He wants to teach you. Be open to His guidance and seek His wisdom in every step.

Second, practice gratitude. Even in difficult seasons, there are glimpses of God’s goodness all around us. Keeping a gratitude journal or taking a few moments each day to thank God can shift our perspective and bring hope.

Third, stay connected to a supportive community. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you, pray with you, and remind you of God’s truth. Isolation often makes the hard seasons feel even harder, but fellowship can bring light into dark places.

Finally, surrender control to God. Trust that He sees the bigger picture. When a season feels endless or overwhelming, remember that He makes everything beautiful in its time. Surrendering doesn’t mean giving up but rather placing our trust in the One who holds our future.

Today I want to encourage you that no matter what season you find yourself in, know that it is only for a time. God is faithful, and He is working all things together for your good. Lean on Him, seek His presence, and believe that the beauty of His purpose will be revealed. Just as the earth moves through its seasons without fail, so too will your life transition into the next chapter in His perfect timing.

You are not alone, and you are not without hope. Trust in His promise, knowing that He will made everything beautiful in its time.

Today’s scripture reading: Ecclesiastes 3

1 To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up;

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

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to gain, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to throw away;

7 A time to tear, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.

9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?

10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,

13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

14 I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.

15 That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past.

16 Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there.

17 I said in my heart, “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.”

19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.

20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.

21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

22 So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?