Seasons of Life

Seasons of Life
(This is a story from a forwarded email that some of you may or may not have heard, but I wanted to share. It really spoke to my heart)


There once was a man who had 4 sons that he wanted to teach not to judge people too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third son in the summer, and the fourth in the fall. When they had all gone and returned, the father called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first described the tree as ugly, bent, and twisted; the second described it as covered with green buds and full of promise; the third son disagreed and described the tree as laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful! It was the most graceful thing he had ever seen!; and the fourth son disagreed further. He described it as ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The father then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen only one season in the pear tree's life. He went on to say that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season. The essense of who they are, and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from life, can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. And don't judge life by one difficult season.

There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to harvest; a time to kill and a time to heal; and time to tear down and a time to rebuild; a time to cry and a time to laugh; a time to grieve and a time to dance; a time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to turn away; a time to search and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to throw away; a time to tear and a time to mend; a time to be quiet and a time to speak up; a time to love and time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

As we are finally about to enter the beautiful season of spring, I pray that your life is full of promise and hope. However, if you are still stuck in "winter", take heart knowing that it is simply that-- a season. =)