Nauvoo Times - Vickey Pahnke Taylor - To Everything There is a Season

“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.

And goodness matters.




	Goodness Matters To Everything There is a Season by Vickey Pahnke Taylor