Embrace the Season of Your Life

There are times in our life when it can be exciting or dreadful because of the uncertainty of the future.  However, through the years, I have realized that one way to ease life’s burden is to go with the flow, embrace and accept whatever is happening in one’s life right now. I believe that all seasons in life just come to pass, either good times or bad times.

Bella Estrella of “Didache, Daily Bible Reflections for Catholics, 2015,” had her own story to tell: “As a child, I got hurt physically and emotionally. But I became braver as a result. In 1983 and 1988, our residence burned down. My grandfather died in the second fire. Family relations became stronger and closer.

“In the 1990s , my marriage was on the rocks for seven years. We solved the problem and our bond became even stronger. Last May, we celebrated our 34th anniversary. In 2009, I lost a very close friend, a long-time confidante and co-servant for 16 years to a sudden illness. The grief was difficult to overcome. In 2010, God called my husband to serve Him. My husband is now my partner both at home and in ministry.

“Suffering is an instance of pain or distress. Even, if we don’t welcome it, suffering comes to life in big and small ways, at any age and time. But it comes to pass and leads to better days.”

I had my regrets that I kept to myself and did not display much happiness when my son Manjo (Atty. Manuel Jose III de los Reyes Oyson) excelled in college (in academics and other fields, especially in debates). He also placed 17th in the bar examination in 1997. But I tried to contain my exuberance over his achievements – for fear he might suffer failures in exchange of those blessings. Although my four other children also excelled in their own fields, Manjo’s success was just too much too soon.

I realized later that whatever happiness, success, and good fortune should come into one’s life, one should celebrate them. Because in life, good times and bad times never last forever. After all, life has its own seasons. If it is a season of joy, then one must dance with the rhythm and its tempo; if it is a season of trials and suffering, let it be – this too shall pass with God at bay. Nothing lasts forever.

The spiritual realm has also its own seasons. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 writes: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to search and a time to give up; a time to keep and a time to throw away; a time to tear and a time to mend; a time to be silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.”

Courtnaye Richard of Believe.com website says, “If you’re going through some hard  times in this season, know that God is with you in the midst of all. He’s totally at work. Don’t give up or get tired of doing good.”