There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Three bathing suits and a dress for $15.74. Was this in the 1950’s? No, it was last December off the clearance rack at JC Penney.
Why so cheap? Because my treasures were out of season. They would have netted the merchant a couple of hundred dollars just a few months earlier. But in early winter, shoppers are lining up to buy sweaters, coats, and scarfs. Bathing suits aren’t needed when temperatures are below freezing. Unless you are off to a tropical island or are crazy enough to do the Polar Plunge into the frigid Atlantic.
Seasons are important to merchants. And they are even more critical to us.
In Ecclesiastes chapter three we learn a simple yet profound truth. There is a time for everything (Eccl. 3:1).
In life, we have seasons. What is appropriate during one time of our lives is inappropriate in another.
The Bible tells us that there is . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance (Eccl 3:4).
At a wedding we can expect dancing and laughter. My youngest daughter got married last month. She did a great job in planning her special day from the flowers, music, colors, and venue. And it turned out to be lots of fun.
When someone dies, we expect the opposite. My husband is a pastor and has conducted many funerals. And never once has he seen dancing at a funeral. Instead it is a time of tears, quietness, and reminiscing.
I know I do better if I accept the season I’m in not the one I want to be in.
When we face any type of devastating loss—a financial downturn, the break-up of a close relationship, a failed business, or a serious accident we experience deep sorrow. And we long for the pain to end. Yet day after day we struggle just to make it.
Grief must run its course. It is necessary to travel through a period of sadness, questioning, anger, low energy, tearfulness, and sleepless nights.
If we embrace the grief journey we will eventually reach the other side—allowing the tears to flow. The sun will shine again and we will once again feel more normal. But sometimes it isn’t that time yet.
Last fall, I glanced out my office and was shocked to see large black birds congregating on a nearby roof. Not just a few birds but a lot of birds. Hundreds of birds. It was rather eerie. The last time I saw this many birds was when I watched the Alfred Hitchcock thriller, The Birds. The movie that is responsible for the terror my generation feels when we see a flock of black birds.
God has built into these featured creatures when to gather for their flight south for the winter. These black birds know what time it is.
Embrace your season.
***If you would like to have these blogs sent to your email there is a sign-up on the home page
Embrace Your Season
2/23/2019 1:13:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
How to Have Peace in a Chaotic World
2/12/2019 9:06:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
There's Always Hope
2/5/2019 3:00:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Prayer the Solution to a Common Condition
1/29/2019 5:09:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
The Connection Between Health and Loss--My Personal Story
1/22/2019 12:00:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
How Not to Be Cranky
1/16/2019 11:30:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Does God Promise Healing?
1/8/2019 1:41:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
An Answer to a Desperate Prayer
1/1/2019 7:00:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Santa on Social Media?
12/26/2018 9:02:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren, M.A., LPC
5 Myths of Christmas
12/17/2018 3:05:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren, M.A., LPC and Patricia Durgin
7 Tips on Handling Family Drama
12/12/2018 9:35:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
God's Promise to the Weary
12/4/2018 9:24:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Hope for the Frazzled Part Two
11/27/2018 3:30:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Hope for the Frazzled
11/20/2018 12:00:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
8 Pitfalls to Avoid being Stuck
11/14/2018 8:00:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Problems as Gifts
11/5/2018 10:55:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Breaking Free from Past Losses
10/30/2018 8:30:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren, M.A., LPC and Patricia Durgin
God's Bootcamp
10/23/2018 8:35:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Time Out
10/16/2018 8:50:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Freedom through Forgiveness
10/9/2018 8:06:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
What Not to Do When Dreams Turn to Nightmares
10/2/2018 8:35:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
God's Detours
9/25/2018 9:00:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
The Craziness of Grief
9/18/2018 11:00:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
My Personal Grief Journey--Part 2
9/11/2018 8:20:00 AM by: Abbigail Kalaf MS LPC BCPCC
My Personal Grief Journey--Part 1
9/4/2018 8:05:00 AM by: Abbigail Kalaf MS LPC BCPCC
Where is God in the Storm?
8/28/2018 10:30:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Getting to the Other Side of Grief
8/21/2018 9:25:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Billy Graham's Insights on Grieving
8/14/2018 9:00:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
When Doing Right Turns Out Wrong
8/7/2018 11:20:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
The Connection between Clutter and Grief
7/31/2018 8:34:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
A Simple Quiz on Grief
7/24/2018 8:30:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Do You Struggle with What God Allows?
7/17/2018 8:15:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Is There Purpose in Pain?
7/10/2018 9:05:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Weathering the Storms of Life
7/3/2018 8:35:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
The #1 Gift to Give to a Grieving Friend
6/26/2018 9:04:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
10 Things Not to Say to a Grieving Person
6/19/2018 9:00:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Is It Ok for a Christian to be Depressed?
6/12/2018 11:10:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Do Christians Grieve Differently?
6/5/2018 8:25:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Good Grief
5/29/2018 11:55:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Press on Toward the Goal
5/22/2018 11:30:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Healing through Rest
5/15/2018 9:25:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
From Brokenness to Wholeness Podcast
5/8/2018 10:10:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
The Blessing of Walking by Faith
5/1/2018 1:20:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
The Truth About Grief
1/22/2018 11:03:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Grief Ten Years Later
1/20/2018 1:35:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Welcome, My First Blog
1/19/2018 11:08:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
