Daily Dose 33: More Flagpoles

The Monthly Flagpole:

In the natural world, the moon demonstrates a monthly cycle. Women need look no further than their own bodies for an example of another monthly cycle. The Lord has been so good allowing women to experience first-hand the flow of creative power, and should know better than others, it is not a constant surge, or a perpetual strength, but ebbs and flows, being quiet and active in turn. Our lives can be stronger by working with the pattern set by that cycle.

As a flagpole, viewing a month as a framework for extended projects is an opportunity to practice spiritual breathing. It is not all in and no out. It is not all action and no rest. It is not all detail and no overview. It is not all get and no give. Considering our physical monthly calendar provides a practical guide for scheduling times best suited for quiet and active work.

The Cycles of Life:  The Significant Events and Holiday Flagpoles:

The great time poem in Ecclesiastes mentions many of life’s significant events. The “holy days” (our holidays) are examples of another kind of event. The Bible teaches us about many of the God-prescribed remembrance days (and weeks), the Jewish people were to observe.

Taken together, we realize that during any given year, many major life events, national or social events, and dedicated days for remembering God’s work (holidays) all combine to give us many opportunities to  give special attention to the Lord and His direction through the events of life.

We can anticipate these events with prayer and preparation. We can learn their lessons and gather wisdom and experience to pass on to the younger generation that they might be less stubborn in their responses to the Lord than we have been. We can work  to maintain the God-centered attention that should be the backbone of major holidays.

Everything in its Season

But there is another little thought tucked into the life event list in Ecclesiastes. The many contrasts listed in the passage give us a clue that a large portion of life is spent balancing and adjusting to contrasting priorities, all of which are part of the life package.  Some priorities are “right” when it is the time for them to receive attention and” wrong” when it is time for something else to receive attention, and it is up to us to discern which is which.

Finally, some  life event cycles take many years to unfold: childbearing years, schooling years, and old age, are all examples of extended periods that come with specific responsibilities, which are our job to embrace in their given cycle.

Significant events can be one day once in a life, an annual event, or a period extending over many years. They may be days of national significance, or days important only to one person or one family. They may be times of personal or national trouble (sickness and war). They may involve special menus and special trips, tender emotions and poignant memories. Taken together they offer many opportunities to worship the Lord, gather the family, bond with the nation, teach the children and remind ourselves what it really means to look at life from God’s vantage point.