When I sit down to read the bible, I can see myself wrestling with the same emotional distress as the authors of the sacred scripture did within the Old Testament. Their expression of physical turmoil is nothing new. Everyone single one of us at one point in our life has been dealt a lousy hand, especially if you play Euchre in Michigan. (I don't particularly appreciate getting a farmer's hand.) 

Still, we must move onward and anticipate our circumstances to improve ever so slightly as time passes. I want to remind us that there will always be majestic mountains to climb filled with tremendous joy. And yet, there are still cheerless valleys in which we must descend into on the other side. Every year I continue to soar and plunge into new joys and sorrows. I encounter things I am thankful for and other things that I am not. 

Yet, there is a season for everything, as the author of Ecclesiastes tells us. He understands the human predicament. Our world is suffering and awaits renewal from the one who can restore it to its rightful place. Until then, we must enjoy the ride and trust the process. No matter what your feeling today, continue to remember everything is only here for a season.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, 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 ESV)

Austin Keller