Judging the Seasons

There once was a man who had four young sons. He wanted to teach each of them about the dangers of judging things too rapidly before seeing all aspects of a situation. So, he decided to send each of them on a journey, one after the other, to view and observe a distant pear tree. Each son travelled in a different season…the first in Winter, the second in Spring, the third son in the Summer, and the fourth in Autumn.

At the end of the year he brought his children together and asked them about what they had seen and observed. The son who had travelled in the Winter described a gnarled, twisted, and barren tree that stood stark and ugly against the land. The son who went in the Spring disagreed completely. He commented that the tree seemed full of hope and promise, with many green buds along its branches. The third son, who travelled in the Summer, described the pear tree he had seen as covered with beautiful blossoms that looked and smelled divine. Finally, the fourth and last son, who made the journey in the Autumn, was even more elated. He described a tree laden with sweet and delicious pears that tasted better than any he had ever eaten before.

After each son had spoken, the father said they were actually all correct…because each had only seen but one season in the pear tree’s life. He told his sons that it is foolish and impossible to make wise and fair judgments in this manner. He further explained that the essence of something, whether it’s a tree or their fellow man, can only be measured as a whole, at the end of a year, having seen it in all its development and fullness.

To make a negative judgment in Winter is to miss the promise of Spring, the beauty of Summer, and the delicious fruit of Autumn.  Refuse to judge yourself, life, or other people based upon a single mistake or challenging time. Refuse to let the pain of one season destroy the joy of what is to come in the future. I remember saying to a young lady, who was in the course of coming to Christ and struggling with her past,  “don’t let a dark past cloud a bright future.”

My Favourite Old Testament book is Ecclesiastes. Chapter 3 is all about how God has a time for everything. “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”  Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT