How Does God Use the Dark Seasons of Our Lives?
I have been thinking about the difficult seasons of life God sometimes has us go through. These always vary in their content–a broken relationship or friendship, an ailing loved one, mental illness, career problems, etc. But no matter what they are, one variable usually remains the same: when we find ourselves in one, we scramble around madly like a mouse trapped underneath a large bowl, searching frantically for a way out.
At least, that’s my gut reaction. When I experience discomfort or sorrow, I pull away. I immediately look for a lifeline. A way for the negative experience to stop.
This means, when I’m in a prolonged season of difficulty, I search and search for a solution until I reach a point of despair and hopelessness. This makes the already hard season of life even worse.
Fortunately, the book of Ecclesiastes (the portion of the Bible that has, outside of the Gospels, transformed my outlook on life the most) contains within its third chapter the antidote to this dilemma.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
The eleventh verse of this same chapter states that God “has made everything beautiful in its time” (emphasis mine).
I find this to be a monumental encouragement, especially for the times in which I must trudge through a particularly difficult time. Because when I experience them, this passage teaches me I don’t have to scratch, fight, and claw my way out. There is a designated time for everything in life, and some of those times are just going to be hard. That is okay.
After all, the purpose of life cannot simply be reduced to experiencing an unwavering state of the fluttery sensation we call happiness. The purpose of life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever–sometimes we accomplish that by entering a period of suffering and serving Him in the midst of it.
Think about it. Often, the means by which God proclaims His glory to ourselves and others is by enabling us to live well in a period of intense hardship. As we walk through these seasons with faith and peace, we are a living testimony to the power of Jesus Christ. Others see our stability as we navigate life’s storms and they want what we have.
When you view life through these lenses, the way you view the difficult seasons of life changes. Maybe God has you in this dark season so that He can bring someone else in the light. Maybe you ought to pray for the strength to embrace the challenge in front of you and then boldly walk through it instead of trying to run from or ignore it. Don’t automatically try to break free from this season–God has made it just as beautiful as any other.
The health crisis in your life may be an opportunity to show others the peace that surpasses understanding you receive from Christ.
The struggling relationship or friendship may be an outlet for you to exhibit self-sacrifice and humility, thereby attracting people to the Gospel that equipped you with those admirable traits.
The grappling with mental illness may allow you to show others your complete reliance on the Lord, causing them to desire His guidance as well.
Remember these words from Ecclesiastes:
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens….He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
