Solomon’s Musings Were Rather Pessimistic

November 10, 2015

Solomon’s Musings Were Rather Pessimistic

For everything there is a season,

    a time for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

The phrase, ‘Four Seasons,’ is used quite a lot in our town to describe the great attraction to our mountain community. We most certainly have four very discernable seasons of the year, and the colors of our current fall season are magnificent. While King Solomon, who is traditionally thought to be the author of Ecclesiastes, was certainly aware of the four environmental seasons, he was more mindful in Ecclesiastes of the seasons we encounter through the various changes in our lives. In Solomon’s litany of seasons, there are both good and bad circumstances and happenings.

Cheryl and I understand seasons of life. In one season of our lives, in three successive years, my and Cheryl’s mothers died, I retired and we relocated hundreds of miles from friends and family, Cheryl was diagnosed with cancer and had surgery, and I had a heart attack and cardiac bypass surgery. We sealed the end of that season with a celebratory trip to Charleston after Cheryl completed her radiation treatments, and I completed cardiac rehab.

We are now contemplating what the future holds for us in our state of renewed health and energy. This next season is unusual in that we know it is coming and we get to participate in shaping its direction and how it will fit into our lives. This differs dramatically from the last season in our lives as most of the defining movements were thrust upon us, not choices we readily made. As we ponder the coming years, I am mindful that Solomon’s musings in his advanced years were rather pessimistic. As we prepare to journey through this next season, we have two sign posts to help us avoid the road he took:

Hebrews 12:2

“Keeping our eyes on Jesus.”

Romans 8:30

“Nothing in all creation (including seasons) will ever be able to separate us

from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.