What Season Is It?

You may recall the passage in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes that begins with “There is a time for everything…,” or perhaps, like me, the song by Peter Seeger entitled “Turn, Turn, Turn” is your clearest memory of this passage. I remember reading the scripture and singing the song, wrestling with understanding what “a time for everything” might mean. I didn’t like the more negative notions of a “time to kill” or a “time for war.” It helped when I learned the larger context, that Ecclesiastes is part of the biblical genre known as wisdom literature, in which scripture provides ancient wisdom about the world and living a life with and for God.

And yet, in my return to this passage, I find myself wondering if there is something for me to hear beyond a reflection of wisdom (traditionally attributed to King Solomon) as the author looks back at life with all its inevitable seasons. Is there something in this passage that invites us not to the passivity of mere existence as the seasons carry us along like leaves in the wind, but to a hope-filled discernment of what season God is calling me to enter next?

I have the privilege in my present ministry to pray with young adults as they are discerning relationships, vocations, majors, jobs—all the “What’s next?” questions. And while there is an intensity to the number of questions they are asking at this stage of life, the reality is that discernment is our constant companion as disciples of Christ. When I was in college, I thought I would be much more settled in life and vocation when I reached my forties, fifties, and surely by my sixties. Yet, here I am, praying over what might need to be born in my life and what I should let die, what needs to be planted and what needs to be uprooted, what needs to be killed and what needs to heal. Recently, I found myself praying over Ecclesiastes chapter 3, asking the Holy Spirit to guide me to the words that I need to pay attention to in this season of life. I still stumble over the notions of a “time to kill” or a “time for war,” but if I hear them not as an act of violence against others but a prayer over what needs to be put to death in my life (bitterness, defensiveness, etc.) or where I need to engage in a response to injustice (hunger, limited housing options, etc.), they, too, become part of my discernment.

You might find spending some time with Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 a gift as you pray. Consider reading over it several times, asking the Holy Spirit to direct your thoughts. I find circling the word or words that rise to my attention helpful. Be still and create space for silence. I encourage you to give yourself the gift of time. Be curious about what themes you see rising in your journaling, in your attentiveness to God’s whispers during the day, and what you hear as you talk with soul friends.

I still find discernment to be hard work. I have heard the testimonies of others who hear from God in such strong ways that it borders on a verbal message. That has not been my journey. Following God’s direction in my life is best described as persistent nudges or, as one friend said, an “itch that can’t be scratched.” But I do know that my listening and discerning is strengthened as I pray the scriptures with humility and openness to what God might want to say. Discernment is our constant companion. Sometimes it can feel like a weight or a burden, yet I think it is better thought of as a sign that we remain in a dynamic relationship with God, full of challenges but full of life.

Recently, I was talking with my mother who is in her 90s, and she said, “I am discerning whether….” I am glad she is still discerning seasons and that God is still speaking over her, in her, and through her. May it be so for all of us.

Dr. Mary Rearick Paul, D.Min, is a minister and Vice President of Student Life and Formation at Point Loma Nazarene University.