Daffodils in spring
The year 2025, so far it seems, has been a year that has knocked people around. Between the cost of living and job insecurity, individuals and families alike are struggling to find that silver lining we all hear tell of.
Karla Rose
As we all navigate this season, and try and pretend it isn’t somehow already September, I’m reminded of Ecclesiastes 3.
In general this chapter talks about how there is a time for everything. Personally, I appreciate that it acknowledges the core human need to be seen and heard, stating that there is a time to cry and laugh, to grieve and dance, and so much more, essentially saying that we are allowed to feel our emotions and process our reactions to what is going on around us and within us, both the good and the bad.
The chapter goes on to encourage us to be happy, to do good, and to find satisfaction in our work. Which I know, particularly in seasons like many of us are currently going through, is difficult. Things are hard, and also, if we can continue being good people and find our joy now when it’s hard, how much better will things feel when life is actually good?
I can’t pretend to know exactly what’s going to come from all the things happening in our community or our world. As with Covid, where there was no way to know what would happen while we were in it, and no way to predict when or what would happen when it ended. It’s impossible to say that by X date things will improve.
What I can say with certainty is that the Bible says He has made everything beautiful in its time, which, in a year like 2025, gives me hope. I know that God won’t leave things looking a mess; eventually, He will turn the mess into something beautiful.
So, as you add up the inflated cost of the groceries in your trolley, lament over the arrival of your power bill, or wear through your last pair of jeans, I want to assure you that this season cannot, and will not last forever, because they never do. There is a time for everything, which means that while there is a time for stress and difficulty, there is also a time for joy and abundance.
The flowers are beginning to bloom, the lambs are being born, the temperature is starting to warm up, and even our local council is preparing itself for the inevitable changes that come with new voices. There is hope for the end of this hard season, but in the meantime, I encourage all of us to start taking pleasure in the joys that we currently have; meals with loved ones, music, daffodils, silly videos, whatever reminds you that your hard season won’t last, and still holds some sweetness within it.
