Bennett,
Life can be confusing because it’s always changing. It’s made up of seasons like it says in Ecclesiastes 3. BTW, these letters are a lot like Ecclesiastes, a grandfather is telling his grandson what he’s learned and offering some tips on how to apply the wisdom.
But back to what I was saying, here are some of those seasons:
“For everything there is a season… A time to be born and a time to die….A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance….A time to keep and a time to throw away….A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT
That’s life, Bennett. Those are the kinds of things you’re going to see happen all around you and you’re even going to experience some of them yourself.
Why am I telling you this? Two reasons, the first is I don’t want you to be surprised when the world gets weird and the second is I want you to be equipped for the questions you’re going to have about the weirdness.
Bennett, most people are addicted to comfort. We don’t want any pain or unpleasant issues to deal with. Discomfort is to be avoided at all costs. It doesn’t matter if it’s in a relationship, money, or at work. If something is causing you pain, make it go away or escape as soon as possible.
You’re even going to find some people who believe that when any bad stuff happens to a Christian, it’s punishment for some sin. Thankfully that’s not true.
But avoiding pain is not a realistic way to live because Ecclesiastes says there will be pain or discomfort at different times in your life.
So you need to figure out how you’re going to respond. Especially how you’re going to think about God when you’re in one of those uncomfortable seasons of life.
You’re going to be tempted to think God is with you when things are going good and he’s far away when things aren’t going so well.
But Bennett, I want you to remember this, God is On Your Side.
No matter what seasons you’re in, He’s got your back, even when it doesn’t look like it or you don’t even believe it.
I got this from the book of Psalms 56:9, “This I know: God is on my side!”
The guy who wrote it talks about all of the seasons of life he’s endured. He’s been lied about and attacked by enemies, but he keeps saying he knows God is there. He hasn’t left. He’s on his side.
The writer has decided to believe this in such a deep way, that it’s the first thing he thinks of when life gets hard.
That’s the reaction I’m praying you’ll develop because I know it will save you a lot of sleepless nights.
I wish I had learned this one earlier in life. Not the fact that God is on my side, but that this is the first thing I should think of when life goes sideways. That I know I can keep going because I don’t have to be afraid of how the season is going to turn out ok. After all, God is on my side.
Love,
Saba