As you are well aware, life has its ups and downs… at least I hope you are aware of this; if not, you must live in a magic bubble I wish I could visit. In life, we are guaranteed to experience times that are really great, times that suck, and times that just pass by without any real feeling towards them. No matter what spot you’re in, it can be really helpful to consider the Jewish philosophy: For everything there is a season (Ecc 3:1a). Yes, this is a line from the Bible, but I won’t get preachy… at least I’ll try. It can be incredibly helpful if you take this statement from Ecclesiastes and apply it to your life. For instance, you can go simple and use tropical seasons, which are just wet and dry seasons, or, like me, use the 5 Canadian seasons. Some of you are thinking, “Chad, there’s only 4,” but no; it’s time we recognized that Christmas is a season all to itself; it certainly is in retail.
Christmas: A time of joy, celebration, spirituality (many visit church for their 1 of 2 times of the year), and connecting with people in a bigger way, which sometimes means gaining holiday weight.
Spring: A time of rebirth, and getting things going. People who work outside are particularly getting things going.
Summer: A season of putting personal time and/or growth as priority as many people put work and TV on the backburner in order to go on holidays, connect with loved ones, and do jobs around the house they’ve been meaning to do for awhile. People who work outdoors will work their hardest during this season, but they will still often take time for barbeques and activities with family and friends.
**As beautiful as spring and summer are, however, they are also susceptible to serious thunder storms and tornadoes that can be devastating.
Fall: Traditionally a season of harvest and enjoying the fruits of our labor. The chaos of summer is done and we enjoy the beauty that surrounds us while regaining a sense of routine.
Winter: The season that is largely about getting through. This often includes hibernating activities like watching TV and movies. The light is limited and we can be hit by serious snow storms that lead to dangers and extra work. As dreaded as winter can be, some people make the most of it by enjoying winter sports and/or redecorating inside the house in order to have more time to better enjoy the summer.
Acknowledging that life has seasons has several important benefits. For instance, it points out that we’re meant to have breaks. Jewish Law included taking a Sabbath partly because our bodies and minds need breaks (that’s for my fellow workaholics). Second, it’s also a way to acknowledge that we’re going to go through periods where we won’t have time to do what we want, but these won’t last. For instance, I haven’t had a chance to work on my new book since February, but that’s because of the season I’m in. Third, we need to enjoy good moments, and when things are tough, we need to be reminding ourselves that ‘better days are coming’ (my grandpa always said this) while acknowledging that we have the strength to endure. Unfortunately, many people do the opposite; we get stuck in the moment without hope when things are tough and when they’re good, we tell ourselves it’s not going to last and things are going to get worse, which takes away from our enjoyment. If you do this… stop it!… Sorry, I’m harsher than normal because I’m looking in a mirror. Finally, more than anything else, we need to realize there is good in all seasons; it just might be harder to see in some more than others. Some people will find something to complain about in every season, but these are people who typically find the negative in any situation, which is one of the worst addictions we can have.
The benefit of life seasons versus weather seasons is we have some control of what season we are in. Our choices affect us and are a driving force for how long a season lasts. It’s also good to remember that whatever season we are in someone else is going to be in the opposite like when Canada is in their summer, Australia is in their winter and vice versa.
This week may you appreciate where you are at, and begin doing what you need to do in order to move towards a preferred season while helping those in worse situations.
Rev Chad David, www.ChadDavid.ca, Learning to love dumb people