A Time for Everything

Tendi is a Church of England Ordinand at Gas Street, studying at St. Mellitus College.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.’

Most of us love a good TV show - my favourite over recent years has been ‘This is Us’, an American series that follows the families of two parents and their three children through their lives. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. (Make sure you have a box of tissues to hand!) The reason we fall in love with and connect to certain long-running stories is that we get to see the highs, the lows and everything in between. We get excited when a new season is on the way and (in my case) spend far too much time theorising what will happen next after a nail-biting end-of-season cliffhanger.

The thing I particularly admire about ‘This is Us’ is the way we see a story unfold over a long period of time and it really got me thinking of how God views our stories compared with how we view our stories. Too often, we have a limited view of what story God is writing for us, and we look at the shortcomings and the dissatisfactions of the season we are in. Perhaps we were hoping to be at a certain point in life, having reached milestones like graduation, marriage, buying houses, job promotions, the list is endless, and we miss the importance and blessings of the unique present adventure we are called to. 

This verse in Ecclesiastes encourages you to take heart that the current season you are in is a season where God is working in you and for you. He is writing your story: a beautiful, unique, and specific story that will bring him glory and you much joy.

 Prayer - Father, thank you that you are writing my unique story. Help me to keep my eyes on you and to know that you are near even in the tough seasons. Give me wisdom to understand how you are working in my life this season.