Times and Seasons

In the 2^nd and 3^rd chapters of the book of Ecclesiastes of the Bible the ‘preacher,’ or teacher, (perhaps King Solomon in his elderly years) looks at his life and comes to the conclusion that most of it was meaningless.  He uses the word “vanity” at least 35 times.  Vanity, in King James English derives from the Hebrew word ‘hevel’ meaning a mere breath, a ‘puff’, a ‘whiff’ that is here and gone, or transitory and not enduring.  He looks at the human experience and sees man pursuing hopes and expectations that being centered on worldly pleasures cannot be satisfied.

 

What makes life not meaningless, he finds,  requires a change of focus, from that of material ‘things,’ or transitory pleasures, or honors of men, or man’s wisdom,  to the purposes of God for man—God’s wisdom.

  

God sees the end from the beginning and so gives (or gifts) man with 'times and seasons' to do that which will lead him to a fulfilling life. The ‘preacher’ acknowledges this in the 3^rd chapter and tells us “To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (vs. 1). In verse 11 he says “[God] hath made every thing beautiful in his time.” It can likewise be so in our time if we discover the purpose and use it well.

  

In his existential despair the ‘preacher’ fluctuates between insightful wisdom and his own personal angst in the twelve chapters of this little book, but the  overarching insight he comes to is that God has ordered all things for the proper use by man (in its ‘time’ and in its ‘season’) and “for a man to rejoice and to do good in his life” (3:12).

 

I distill all this down to a few thought that come to mind with this reading from the holy scriptures:

• ·Every day is a good day—no matter what the weather.
• When it is the time or the season to plant then plant; to harvest, harvest; to lay up for the future then sacrifice or save or insure; to get an education then do it; to find a mate or an occupation then apply yourself to it; to serve, then serve.  But “do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided . . . but be diligent unto the end.” (D&C 10:4)

• See the world for what it is and enjoy it.  Leave the environment alone enough to let it do what it is supposed to do for us; the earth was made for man to discover, enjoy, use with wisdom but not to abuse.

• Try to achieve and maintain a balance in your life.  Get into a rhythm and harmonize with the world around you—with the gift of your mind and body; the people around you; the environment and circumstances you are put into; the resources you find yourself stewards of.

• As the turning of the earth around its own axis each day and the orbiting of the earth around the sun each year we find ourselves with new beginnings: a new day, a new year, new opportunities to repent, to grow, to move forward. Resolve, in some way, to make every day better than the last one.

• When a season, such as the Christmas season, comes around do everything you can to get in harmony with it.  The same with Springtime, or times of Thanksgiving and harvest, times when we have increased capacities such as the strength of youth, or the seasoned perspective of advanced years, or when we have more material resources than we need.

• Use the new seasons, the new times, the new people we meet, the new knowledge we discover, our accumulated resources, for the purposes they were given to us—to become better people, and to help others to become better; in short, to meet the measure of our creation and lay the foundation for joy in this life and eternal felicity in the life to come.