“What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.”—Ecclesiastes 3:9–14 (NIV)

As I grow older, life starts to feel monotonous, cyclical, and sometimes predictable.  Every school year goes quicker as my children grow older—summer trips, first days of school, pumpkin spice lattes, hurricane seasons, holiday parties, birthday celebrations, then a new year again. They all come as fast as they return! It truly feels like we’re turning a page we’ve already read before.

Although there are times the book of our lives can take us by surprise—perhaps a blessing in disguise or we experience devastating news that can leave us brokenhearted—Solomon reminds us in the first eight verses of this passage that there’s a season for everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly! He states it so poetically, but sadly it’s promised that in this life we’ll suffer. We’ll celebrate successes, but we’ll also feel defeated when we fail. We’ll rejoice when friends get married or have babies, but we’ll mourn when loved ones pass away. Life is full of contrasts, and we can all agree that we may experience more than four seasons in our lifetime!

So now, let’s focus on the GOOD news. After giving us the bad news, Solomon reminds us that life is indeed beautiful . . . in its time. And right now, if you’re standing in the deepest of valleys, you may not find beauty in your very messy circumstances. How can cancer be beautiful? How can the betrayal of a friend be beautiful? How can trauma be beautiful? How can death be beautiful? And you’re right, they’re not. They’re ugly, and life shouldn’t be this way. 

But hope is beautiful—and God reminds us each and every day why we should fight hard to keep it. It reminds me of the Italian film La Vita E Bella (Life Is Beautiful) about a Jewish Italian man caught in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust and whose sole purpose was to inspire hope in his son through wartime. He pretended they were playing a game and the ultimate prize was a tank. In the end, Guido sacrifices himself for his son and his son is heroically rescued by an American tank and survives World War 2 because of . . . hope! Even among the cruelty of a war, hope is necessary for survival and is always possible.  

Part of the reason we suffer is because we’re longing for godly justice and crying out for eternity in our hearts! We understand this world isn’t our final destination. We’re merely sojourners waiting to be called home.    

As we close this year, stay encouraged with Solomon’s wise words and know that a season isn’t meant to be your forever. Our tears will sow seeds that will grow fruit that might need some painful pruning from time to time in order to produce a harvest (John 15)! And the harvest is one that refines our character so we look more like Jesus (Galatians 5:22–23). In the meantime, we’re to look to each other and embrace every moment believing there’s purpose in every situation. Also, we’re to remember that we’re all in this together.  

Let’s be like Joseph who, after being betrayed by his brothers and unfairly sent to prison, gives God the glory and declares, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives (Genesis 50:20 NIV).

Pause: Reflect on your current season of life. What are you hoping for?

Practice: Memorize Galatians 5:22–23. In the moments of painful pruning, remember the harvest!

Pray: Father, as this year ends and another begins, help me see life in full color and never forget all the times You’ve come to my rescue. Thank You for always being by my side and for being a faithful Dad. When the clock turns to midnight, I will praise Your name and remember all the good deeds You’ve allowed in my life this past year. I will remember that in those dark times, You’ve never failed to light my path. God, I surrender this new year to You and I submit to your will. I want to grow closer to You every single day until You call me home. Amen.