All Is Not Vanity

By Heather Templeton

 

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. He has made everything beautiful in it’s time.”

Ecclesiastes paints a bit of a word conundrum.
On one hand, King Solomon raves about how all is meaningless in a world full of injustice.
On the other hand, he speaks about wisdom, and how it is the ultimate achievement to gain in this life. How, as the above verse states, everything is truly beautiful, and there is an appointed time for everything we are to experience in our lives.
I personally think that he is spot on with all of it.
Life is wrought with these themes on a daily basis.
Here one day and gone the next.
Changes.
Seasons.

This past summer was a tough one. Due to multiple raging wildfires surrounding us, our usually lovely valley was permeated with thick black smoke for nearly six weeks.
It was suffocating.
Unhealthy.
Hazardous.
Not exactly words one likes to associate with summer, especially with small children who love to be outdoors.
The smoke finally lifted, and we were greeted with arguably one of the most gorgeous falls that I can ever recall.
Perfect blue skies.
Leaves changing colors.
Sunny and 75, with life-giving rain mixed in.
Truly it has been a breathtaking season so far.
What is not lost on me, is how much more beautiful it all seems after coming out of such a terribly toxic time.
The skies have cleared.
New life has sprung.
Hope has been renewed.

I love being a mom. It is one of the greatest joys in this life, and I treasure watching my children grow and learn and love in this great big world.
But this great, big world is hard.
It is dark.
It is evil.
Wading through moments of tragedy and pain in both our lives and the lives of those we hold dear can jade us to the point of ceasing to find joy.
This is where the Lord comes in.
His joy supersedes our circumstances, and His mercy covers even the most grievous of wrongs.

His love heals our broken hearts, and His tender touch binds up our wounds.
He gives peace amidst our sorrow.
He changes the seasons.
The smoke lifts, and we can breath once again.
With it comes the purest of joy.
There is a moment for it all under the heavens.
And it is beautiful in it’s time.