Finding Beauty in the Barren

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:1,11a NIV

Did you know there is more life in a teaspoon of soil than there are people living in the United States today? Between 100 million and 1 billion living organisms are brimming with activity in that small clump of dirt on your kitchen spoon. 

I was thinking about this while walking the other day. How from an outside perspective, not much seems to be happening during winter. The trees have lost their leaves, colorful flowers and gardens were laid to rest months ago, grass is no longer growing. Winter is not all that visually appealing to the naked eye and everything appears lifeless. 

What if we brought out a microscope though? Or considered the animals hibernating? And what about those chipmunks and squirrels who’ve been stuffing their cheeks stockpiling nuts?

Even in winter, when fields lay barren and the earth takes on various shades of brown, life is still bustling. It’s just not as noticeable.

Winter is necessary in nature. The plants and animals need a season of rest. Numerous mammals have new life developing in their wombs. Other mammals go into hibernation as a way to preserve their body during harsh conditions. 

As humans, we are not so different. We can only operate at high levels for so long before a crash becomes inevitable. And how do we (or should we) recuperate when that happens?

We require rest, a stillness in activities, time to boost our bodies nutritionally. A slowed down pace of life so we can recharge. It can be hard to remind ourselves, there is purpose in every season. Even the ones that set us back and seem long, dreary, and lifeless. 

Friends, God has blessed us with these seemingly barren seasons so we can learn to rely on Him for our sustenance. Just like nature does.

I know how hard these seasons can be. Been there, done that, will be there again.

But how much more hopeful would the barren appear if we chose to look for the beauty within it? If we reminded ourselves that even though things feel and appear dead, life still abounds underneath it all.

Sometimes, our biggest breakdowns will lead to our biggest breakthroughs.

We can choose to let these seasons wear us down even more or we can choose to let God show us what He has for us. 

Maybe He’s been trying to grab your attention for a while. Perhaps He closed a door and wants you to use the waiting period till the right door opens for reflection. It may be something big is coming up and He knows you’ll need extra rest to gear up for it.

We need to use these seasons to wrestle through the enemy’s lies and our doubts and fears, and replace them with renewed faith, hope, and trust in God. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (emphasis mine) Even the dreary, dreadful, and desolate will return to a beautiful work teeming with life and growth. 

Loving Father, Help us to remember You yourself are good and that You want good things for us. As we wait and wade through the barren seasons of our lives, provide us with strength, perseverance, patience, and a firm faith. Let us not grow weary and resentful towards hardships but to consider how we can grow in You instead. Thank you for always watching over us. We praise You for knowing what each and every one of us needs and for working all plans out with our best interest at heart. Amen.

“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.

What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 NIV