WHAT SEASON OF LIFE ARE YOU IN?

The individual who wrote this story did not give their name. But I’m glad they did share it with us. So, let it speak to your heart and mind as it did to me.

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So, he sent them each on a mission. They were each to go at different times of the year and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away from their farmhouse.

He sent his first son in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they all completed their mission, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. But the second son said no it was covered with green buds and leaves. The third son disagreed; he said it was full of blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son said they were all wrong, he saw a pear tree that was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all correct because they had each seen but only one season in the tree’s life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by a particular season in their life, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end when all the seasons are up. If you give up on them when it’s winter, you will miss what they are like in the spring, their beauty during the summertime, and their accomplishments in the autumn of their life.

What can we learn from this? Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest of your life. Don’t judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come. As King Solomon said so clearly, There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything in life.[1] And the Scriptures say that there is a time when old things will be gone and new things will come.[2] In other words, life does not stand still, it keeps moving every day.

So, don’t let a bad Friday destroy your joy for the coming Sunday. Remember, that’s what the disciples went through. When they looked at Jesus on Friday, hanging dead on a cross, they thought their dreams of the Messiah were over. What they forgot was that Sunday was coming when they would see Him again in all His resurrected glory. The same is true for us. Don’t let some disappointing season in life ruin your hope and joy of one day seeing Him when He comes again. As the old hymn goes: “What a day that will be!” – Dr. Robert R Seyda

[1] Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

[2] Isaiah 42: 9; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 21:5