“To
everything there is a season.” This scripture from
Ecclesiastes is one of my favorites. The amazing thing about
this scripture is that my heart’s connection to it has changed
and grown through the years, as my perspective has improved.
Here’s
a story that beautifully illustrates the importance of a deeper
perspective:
There
was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to
judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn,
to go & look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The
first son went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer,
and the youngest in the fall. When they had all gone and
returned, he called to together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent and twisted.
The second son said it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son said, no, it was laden with blossoms that smelled sweet and looked so beautiful and full of promise.
The fourth son disagreed, saying it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The
man explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had
seen only one season in the life of the tree. He told them you
cannot judge a tree- or a person- by only one season, and that the
essence of who they are, and the pleasure, joy and love that come
from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons
are up.
If
you give up when it’s winter, you miss the promise of your
springs, the beauty of your summers, and the fulfillment of your
falls.
on’t
let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don’t judge life by one difficult time. Persevere through
the hard patches and better times are sure to come.
I
appreciate that story. The concept has helped me when I’m in a
funk, when I’m embarrassed beyond all reason, when I am weary
and unable to catch much of a vision at all, or when I mistake a
current joyous high of life as a norm. Nope.
Life is about all the seasons and the perspective that comes with
them.
I
think it’s safe to assume that I’m in the “fall”
of my life at this point. I’ve seen a lot of yearly seasons
come and go. With them, there have been tender “springs,”
blossoming “summers,” harvests of “autumn,”
and cold, dark “winters.”
God
is with us in all the seasons of our life. He tenderly, lovingly
watches over, and grants us opportunities to see
things in an ever-increasingly full way.
For
certain, I understand that when I’ve seen things from only one
season’s perspective, the view is very limited. Sometimes I
view myself from only one season’s perspective. That is harsh
and silly — and not at all correct.
Gratefully,
our Father in Heaven sees all the seasons as He sees us in our
complete state. Little wonder He is so patient, and loved us enough
to send his Only Begotten Son. We’re beloved. We are much more
than our present season, or the previous ones in our mortal journey.
To
everything there is a season. There’s a lot to think about in
these words. A lot to ponder over. A great deal to be thankful for.
It allows us a good perspective.
Vickey Pahnke Taylor is a wife, mom, grandmother, teacher, author, and songwriter. Her
undergraduate study at BYU was musical theater. She has a Masters degree in interpersonal
communications.
A Billboard award-winning songwriter with hundreds of songs to her credit, she uses music as a
teaching tool. But her favorite way to use music has been to sing to her children. You should
hear the family's rousing versions of "Happy Birthday"!
In addition to three solo albums in the LDS market, she co-wrote "Women at the Well" with
Kenneth Cope and "My Beloved Christ: with Randy Kartchner. She is co-writer of the theme
song for Utah's Make-A-Wish foundation, the song for the Special Olympics program, and
EFY's theme song.
She writes for several online magazines and columns, and has authored several books. Her
website, www.goodnessmatters.com, is her way of continuing to grow goodness in the world,
pointing people gently toward Christ and eternal principles of truth.
She has spoken for the Church's various Youth and Family programs for 25 years. She and her
husband Dean have eight children and four grandchildren. She adores being a wife, mom and
grandmother. She loves flowers, brownies, cooking Italian and Southern foods, the ocean, and
laughing every chance she gets.
Vickey was baptized a member of the Church as a teenager in Virginia. She serves as gospel
doctrine teacher in her ward, and Dean serves on their stake high council.
