A Time To Rest

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

I think we tend to fight the seasons of life.

We want to sow at harvest time and speak when we ought to be silent. It’s about our desire to be in control, which is rooted in fear. We’re afraid to trust, to let go.

FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR ’14 starts in 10 days, and I’m thinking about Friday’s post and being motivated by fear. Why? Because it’s a season to back off the intense training. The very best thing to do before a big event is wind down and get plenty of rest.

But that’s counter-intuitive. “Everybody knows” you’re supposed to cram the night before the test, right? It just makes sense to climb a lot of tough hills and do as many miles as possible in the last few days to make sure you’re ready.

To paraphrase Ecclesiastes, there’s a time for intense training, and a time to set that training aside; a time to work to exhaustion, and a time to rest; a time to prepare, and a time to relax and trust your preparation.

Wisdom tells us cramming doesn’t work, but trusting that wisdom requires courage—the courage to let go, to believe you’re ready, to accept the flow of the season.

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So perhaps you’re not preparing for a 500-mile bike ride, but you’re immersed in some season of life. What is it? Are you aware? Are you fighting the season or accepting the opportunities it offers?

This isn’t a “go with the flow” philosophy. Certainly there’s a place to be proactive and forward-thinking.

But Ecclesiastes is clear—God designed life to operate in an ebb and flow of seasons. Seems like we’d do better to discern and lean into this cycle rather than grating against it.

What’s your season right now? What opportunities does it offer?

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