Seasons of Life
When thinking of seasons, we visualize seasons of the year, each with its distinctive characteristics. Our lives reflect seasons too: new life, growing, changing, and aging. The seasons of life can be like ocean waves; they are sometimes roaring and turbulent, but then comes calmness and a warm breeze blows.
In the winter season, a woman may be facing changes in her life, dealing with loss, or going through great difficulty. Spring brings new beginnings. It is a time to let go of winter and begin anew. A summer woman has a sense of self-worth and begins to realize she is God’s delightful creation. She dreams new dreams. Autumn is a season of reflection, and the autumn woman is committed to giving back to others out of her life experiences.
In the book of Ruth, we see the seasons of life played out in the lives of Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah. All three women found themselves in the winter season with the deaths of their husbands. Naomi was also left with two daughters-in-law in a foreign country. Ruth and Orpah, now widowed, with no children, faced a challenging decision: go with their mother-in-law to a new place, a foreign land, or return to their mothers’ homes. Could these women see beyond the circumstances? Would they ever see the spring breaking through the winter cold?
Upon arrival in her home country, Naomi found herself in the autumn season. Knowing there was no food, she encouraged and mentored Ruth as she went to the fields of Naomi’s kinsman to gather food from the fields. Imagine the emotional challenges Ruth faced in a foreign country, not understanding the culture, but needing to provide for her elderly mother-in-law.
In these seasons we learn so much about the Lord and His blessings, and we also learn about ourselves. I wonder if Ruth ever thought she would be the equivalent of a beggar in the fields. Yet the Lord provided Boaz, a kinsman redeemer, to look after Naomi and Ruth. Accepting his responsibility as Naomi’s kin, Boaz married Ruth. God’s greatest blessing came when she gave birth to Obed, who was the father of Jesse, the father of David, placing Boaz and Ruth in the lineage of Jesus. Thus began Ruth’s summer season. God is faithful in every season!
God, I thank You for the creation of seasons. Even though some are difficult and turbulent, if we look, we can see Your hand. Thank You for the beauty of the seasons that only You could create and for being our Kinsman Redeemer, the One who provides. Amen.
