In Ecclesiastes 3 Solomon speaks to the rhythms of life. “There’s a season for everything and a time for every matter under the heavens: a time for giving birth and a time for dying, a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted…a time for crying and a time for laughing…”

I wish it was always a time for birth, always a time for planting, always a time for laughing, always a time for peace. But that is not the reality of life. Loved ones pass away. Hard work sometimes fails. The burdens of life can be crushing. Friends fail us. As we follow Jesus, he does not make everything easy, but he can leverage everything for good and he never leaves our side. And he calls us to be about his work and love.

Thank you for never leaving the side of the orphan. Thank you for planting seeds of hope and salvation. Thank you for empowering families to recover from financial ruin. Thank you for supporting pastors, children and families on the other side of the world through their challenging and joyful seasons of life. Your steadfastness echoes God’s love and brings about His peace.

May we embrace every season of life and walk with others through their winters and laugh with others through their summers.