Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
Did you know that prior to 1954, a minister could stand in his pulpit and tell you whom to vote for? Did you know that local newspapers would reprint pastors' sermons on Mondays in case you missed church that week? Did you know that ministers founded most of the colonies? Did you know that some ministers lead régimes of soldiers in the Revolutionary War? One such minister by the name of Pastor Peter Mullenburg did just that. One Sunday morning in 1776 after preaching from Ecclesiastes, “for everything there is a season,” he closed his message by saying, "There is a time to preach and a time to fight. Now is the time to fight."22 Mullenburg threw off his clerical robes to reveal his colonel's uniform. He then walked up the center aisle of his church asking the men to join him. That day Pastor Peter Mullenburg and 300 men formed the Eighth Virginia Infantry Regiment to assist General George Washington.
Pastor Mullenburg acknowledged that seasons can change for us. He knew he was called to pastor, but recognized the season had changed to help his country militarily. After the war, the season changed again for Pastor Mullenburg who was elected to the first congress (1789-1791) as a representative from Pennsylvania.
Like Pastor Mullenburg, each of us can face changing seasons too. For example, if you’re a parent, it’s a season of raising children, which requires more oversight and supervision. As they get older, you enter another season watching them make their own decisions. Then there are times where we sense a new season to do something different with our lives like Pastor Mullenburg. Maybe there’s a “pull” on you or you’re experiencing unrest for where you are in life. It may be a change of seasons for you.
When facing a time like this, the best thing we can do is cooperate with it. We do that by taking small prayerful steps. Maybe you’re being called to a deeper season of bible study. Take a step. Maybe it’s serving in an area at church. Take a step. Perhaps it’s a career change. Take a step. Stop resisting the change and prayerfully take a step. God wants to take that step with you so don’t be afraid. When called to walk on water, the Apostle Peter stepped out of the boat. Yes, he began to sink, but Jesus was right there and pulled him up. He’ll do the same for you. Take a step. What are you waiting for?
Action steps
- Read - Re-read Ecclesiastes 3:1
- Think - Do you have a dream inside you that is waiting to be fulfilled? Is there something tugging on you that you haven’t responded to?
- Write - Journal about the current season you think you are in now. Also, journal about how a past season has prepared you for the next step in your life.
- Pray - Ask God to help you follow through with doing what you're called to do both in the "big picture" and in the everyday scene.
- Take away - Check in and see what God has for you today. When you stay connected to God, you’ll be able to recognize the shifts in your own seasons.
“It is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward each other”