Somewhere around adolescence, most of us start to understand that life on earth will not always go the way we want.  Try as we might, some things just aren’t going to go our way.  For Christians, this is often explained as a natural consequence of living in a broken world.

True: we’re not in heaven yet, so pain–at times–is to be expected.

But, does life always have to feel that way?  No.

There is also plenty of joy to be found now–on this side of eternity.  The key to not making life any harder than it already has to be lies in asking a powerful question:

What season of life am I in right now?

Frustration comes when we dress for rain on a sunny day, or when we leave the umbrella at home–even though the forecast called for a storm.

Wise people are (1) always aware of the changing seasons, and (2) preparing accordingly.  In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon guides us through an exercise to remain aware of which season of life we’re passing through.  Only after we’re aware of the season can we accurately set our expectations and chart our course.

(This message is based on Ecclesiastes 3)

Note: This message is part of a series on the book of Ecclesiastes titled, “Asking for a Friend.” In the series, we ask out loud the question many of us are afraid to ask for fear of being labeled weak or skeptical (as if that were a bad thing). Solomon believed that those doubts–doubts harbored by every human under the sun–are best dealt with in the open. Everybody’s thinking them. God already knows about them.  And the Truth will set us free.