“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV
Have you ever read a book, and while you are reading it, you ask yourself, “I wonder when I am going to need tomorrow what I am learning today?” Many times, when I am reading the Bible, I will come across tools that I know God is putting in my toolbox for later. The devotion or the scriptures are good, but I know they are not speaking to my “today”, but I also know they are going to come in handy in the future. I write things down in my journal or Bible and date it. It is like that pasta sauce in your freezer in the zip lock bag. It is always good to know when you put it in there to use later.
A few years ago, I was doing a Bible study in Ecclesiastes. I was using a video devotional, along with my reading, that helped me mine out the deep teachings that this book by King Solomon has to offer. The book is so much more than the “for everything there is a season...” scripture that we often hear at funerals. So, I enjoyed the study like a good plate of pasta and liked it so much that I put what I wasn’t using at the time in the “freezer”.
Now when you put something in the freezer, it is not like you always remember that you did it. Unless you are very organized and have an Excel spreadsheet on your refrigerator, there are a few things that you probably forget about. Funny how when you need something to help you through the bad section of “For everything there is a season...” it is hard to remember or even find. It is like my friend looking for his glasses the other day. He looked and looked. He asked me if I saw them and when I looked, I found them. I found them in his hand. Yes, we all have those moments.
Recently, I have been through some trials. I have written about some big ones. Through my trials, there were many days I was like my friend looking for his glasses. When we are in these moments, we are rarely calm, collected, and poised. We are often frantic and confused. That is why we cannot feel the glasses in our fingers. Then someone or some thought wakes us up and points to our hands. We had what we were looking for the entire time. This teaching in Ecclesiastes was one of those things I had in my hands. I just wasn’t composed enough to see it.
During my journey, I felt a lot like Elijah after the threats from Jezebel. God had to take him to the Brook of Cherith to start seeing things His way and remind Elijah what he had in Him (1 Kings 17). Eventually Elijah was in a better state of mind to remember what and who he had on his side. That is what happened to me. I had to journey with God for a bit to get to the point of ...“Ahh, yes, I remember!” This is when you remember the pasta dish you had that was so amazing and the left-over sauce is in the freezer. It was at this moment in my journey the teachings I learned in Ecclesiastes in my good season were brought back to my memory for my not so good season. I scrambled for my notes. I looked for the videos and found the book that I enjoyed so much. It was all coming back to me and just at the right time. I took that teaching and used it to build upon what God was already building in me. It reminded me that life is not always going to go my way, but that doesn’t mean that God is not with me. My season was not an identity issue, it was simply life and bad things happen in life. It reminded me, now that I am better, these are the days, the times, to celebrate, enjoy life and the people God has given me to live life with. Be in the moment and squeeze every bit of life out of the day as I can. Don’t stay in the mullygrubs! Don’t keep ruminating on the past. Live! Love! Eat! Play! Get out the pasta sauce and cook up another fabulous meal to enjoy.
Life is full of seasons. Good and bad. Be a student of God’s word. Get Kingdom things in you that do not necessarily apply to your life today but save them for tomorrow. Put them in the freezer and mark them. Journal your times with Jesus and His word. Give yourself something to fall back on when the Holy Spirit brings it to your memory and trust that God will always equip you for the storms ahead with what you have in your heart. And when you cannot find what you are looking for, it may be right there in your hands.