Clearing out a neglected inbox where non-urgent, personal emails have accumulated can be a daunting task—perhaps somewhat similar to figuring out what to do with mounds of paper mail. With bravery and a bit of cheerfulness, I tackled my inbox one evening, realizing I could delay no longer. To my surprise, it was a delightfully nostalgic and insightful experience. It’s peculiar what can trigger our memories: sights, smells, a song, etc. In my particular case, cleaning an inbox brought to mind fond memories.
We all reminisce on life’s experiences at times—enjoyable occasions, exciting moments of success and achievements, friends whom we’ve loved. There were periods of life when the good times seemed to fly by. There were times when we never thought we’d make it out of a trial. These are what some call the “seasons” of life, famously written about in Ecclesiastes 3:1–8. The nostalgia and occasional sadness from going down “memory lane” is exaggerated when we are removed from a “season of life” we can never relive, such as childhood. It can also be painful when we are removed from friends and family by the sting of death. Being human is a contrasting ebb and flow of sorrow and joy, and everything in between.
In Ecclesiastes 3, King Solomon states that everything is “beautiful in its time” (v. 11). The fabric of time and experience we call life can seem very beautiful when recalling the “good times.” God—who inhabits eternity and is not bound by times and seasons—gave times and seasons for us to enjoy. With the physical creation comes the byproduct of times and the various seasons. In setting the earth and other astral bodies in their place, God said, “Let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years” (Genesis 1:14). Yet Solomon also acknowledges that, while it is a gift to recall the past, God has put eternity in the hearts of human beings (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Knowing where we come from and what we have experienced is not the answer to reconnecting with loved ones, nor is it the answer to where we are ultimately going.
The answer to the desire to reconnect with loved ones and find meaning in life’s past “seasons” is part of what Solomon alludes to as a mystery in the latter half of Ecclesiastes 3:11: “No one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” The mystery of making sense of past, present, and future is cleared up in what God calls His “feasts” (Leviticus 23:1–2).
God has outlined His great plan for mankind from beginning to end through these observances. They revolve around three agricultural “seasons” made possible by the physical creation referred to in Genesis 1:14. God’s Holy Days are beautiful in their time, both in the annual festival celebrations God’s people enjoy and especially in what they represent. The first Festival season focuses on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and on redemption and deliverance. Pentecost focuses on the Church and holiness. The third Festival season focuses on a time when the entire world will be reconciled to God and lost loved ones will even be reconnected with through resurrection. The Holy Days are a mystery to the world, yet paradoxically they offer the world hope in some of the most joyous occasions yet to come. Thank God He has given us the “seasons of life” to enjoy—as well as His Festival seasons, which point to our greatest hope.