THE SEASONS OF LIFE

THE SEASONS OF LIFE

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…

Thank You, God, for the seasons of my life, each having its own special beauty.

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”—Psalm 118:24

 

A time to be born, and a time to die…

Thank You for the gift of life, and thank You that one day I will pass from this life to the next, carried onwards through Your love.

“My times are in Your hand.”—Psalm 31:15

 

A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted…

Thank You for both success and failure; experience is a hard but faithful teacher.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.”—Psalm 37:23–24

 

A time to kill, and a time to heal…

Thank You for the sicknesses and other troubles that You have allowed in my life, so that I could rely more on You. Thank You for bringing me through them all.

“To you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.”—Malachi 4:2

 

A time to break down, and a time to build up…

There have been disappointments and losses; thank You for how they have made room for better things.

“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God.”—Romans 8:28

 

A time to weep, and a time to laugh…

Thank You for seasons of sorrow and of joy, for the sunshine that is even more appreciated after a storm.

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”—Psalm 30:5

 

A time to mourn, and a time to dance…

Thank You that despite the sadness I feel at the loss of loved ones, I have the enduring comfort of knowing they are happy in heaven and we will be together again.

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing.”—Psalm 30:11

 

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones…

Thank You for changes, which remind me that You are the one constant in my life.

“[Nothing] shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”—Romans 8:38–39

 

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing…

Thank You for the company of friends and loved ones, and thank You also for times of loneliness when I experience the comfort that You alone can give.

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”—Deuteronomy 33:27

 

A time to gain, and a time to lose…

Thank You for the times of need as well as the times of prosperity, each in their own way teaching me to appreciate my blessings.

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”—Job 1:21

 

A time to keep, and a time to throw away…

Help me to let go of pride, selfishness, and other sins of the heart. Whatever the future holds, help me to hold onto what are most precious—You and Your love and truth.

“He who has begun a good work in you will complete it.”—Philippians 1:6

 

A time to tear, and a time to sew…

Even when I go astray, You never withdraw Your love. Your mercy and forgiveness make me want to do better.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”—1 John 1:9

 

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak…

Thank You for always being there to listen to my problems, offer solutions, and put me on a positive path. Help me to be more like that with others.

“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak.”—James 1:19

 

A time to love, and a time to hate…

Help me to forgive those who wrong me—to “love the sinner but hate the sin”—as You do with me.

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”—Ephesians 4:32

 

A time of war, and a time of peace.

War will be with us as long as evil exists in this world, but thank You that one day You will put a stop to all that. In the meantime, help me to be a peacemaker.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”—Matthew 5:9 KJV

Onyedikachi Kingsley Ogbonna (Surv.)