Welcome to Our Daily Bread. I'm Sheridan Voizzi, and I've titled our reading today, Seasons.

I recently came across a helpful word, wintering. Just as winter is a time of slowing down in much of the natural world, author Catherine

May uses this word to describe our need to rest and recuperate during life's cold seasons.

I found the analogy helpful after losing my father to cancer, which sapped me of energy for months.

Resentful of this forced slowing down, I fought against my winter, praying summer's

life would return, but I had much to learn. Ecclesiastes famously says there's a season for every

activity under the heavens, a time to plant and to harvest, to weep and to laugh, to mourn and to dance. I had read these words for years,

but only started to understand them in my wintering season. For though we have little control

over them, each season is finite and will pass when its work is done. And while we can't always

fathom what it is, God is doing something significant in us through them.

My time of morning wasn't over.

When it was, dancing would return.

Just as plants and animals don't fight winter, I needed to rest and let it do its renewing work.

Lord, a friend prayed, would you do your good work in Sheridan during this difficult season?

It was a better prayer than mine, for in God's hands, seasons are purposeful things.

Let's submit to his renewing work in each one.

Today's scripture reading is from Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verses 1 to 14.

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 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.

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