There is a Time for Every Season

Reading about history fascinates and frustrates me. I am always encouraged by the inspiring stories of those who have come before me. I love to read about the great scientists who worked so hard to prove their theories and share their ideas with the world, to learn about people who overcame great obstacles to succeed, and to come to know ordinary people who made a difference in this world. Yet, I am also frustrated at how often we, as people and societies, repeat the same mistakes over and over. We never seem to learn from the past. It seems that every generation thinks they are smarter and wiser than the previous generation and therefore immune from doing the “foolish” things of their ancestors. Yet, as I was reading about the cycles of history in The Fourth Turning, I couldn’t help wondering, do we really have to keep repeating these cycles? I have no doubt that these cycles occur, but do we really have to have a crisis every eighty to one hundred years?

Are these cycles merely a result of people turning away from God? When people are prosperous, they tend to forget God. They focus on their wealth and prosperity and God becomes less important. It is only with a crisis and the ensuing suffering that people are compelled to remember God and begin again to follow Him. Eventually the crisis and suffering passes; the people become prosperous again and God is once again forgotten. Then another crisis is necessary to bring the people back to God. This cycle repeats over and over.

So how do we overcome these cycles? Or should we? Are these cycles just part of our earthly experience? After all, there must be opposition in all things. Are these cycles just part of that opposition? Can we truly appreciate health if we never have sickness? Can we appreciate joy if we never have pain and sorrow? Can we appreciate prosperity without deprivation?

My inclination is of course to remove these cycles. Wouldn’t the world be a better place without suffering, without greed, and all of the other sins of man? I am not sure. Can I learn not to judge others without first experiencing the pain of having been wrongly judged by another? Can I really appreciate a good meal without first going hungry? Can I have compassion for another if I have never suffered?

I believe these cycles are necessary because they enable us to pass through all of the seasons of life. In each person’s lifetime, he/she will experience a high (spring), an awakening (summer), an unraveling (fall) and a crisis (winter). We may each experience them at different points in our maturity, but we will all pass through each season. Spring and summer are wonderful seasons. They are a time of renewal and rest, but it is the fall and winter that make us who we truly are. It is in the difficult times that we come to understand what is really important. It is through our struggles that we become strong.

I have never liked winter. I don’t like the cold, the naked trees, the barren landscape or the gray skies. But in moving to a place that really doesn’t have a “winter,” I realize that I do not have the same anticipation for “spring” that I used to have. Here it is always green, there are always flowers, and it is always sunny. The days just seem to blend together and suddenly it is hot. Without the cold, barren winter, I really don’t have as great an appreciation for the blossoming of spring.

Would my life really be complete without passing through a time of crisis? I do not think so. I cannot become the person I should be, without passing through all four seasons. I need a winter, a time of suffering and deprivation, to truly appreciate spring, a time of prosperity and blessings. I need a winter to truly understand my need for a Savior. I cannot possibly appreciate the sacrifice He made for me, until I pass through my own suffering and come face to face with my own weakness. I need a winter or time of crisis, so that I do not forget God.

You Are What You Read

I envy those who grew up reading the classics. What a great way to spend your childhood. To see the example of great men and women and the good choices they make. What an inspiration for a growing mind.

I am seeing more and more how the principles of leadership education are true. I see the importance of reading classics and spending most of my time in whole and healing books. I can see the fruits of the classics in the lives of my children. My oldest daughter reads voraciously, with the majority of her reading being in the classics. I watch her as she is beginning to make choices in her life and can see the influence these good books, especially our core books, are having on her. These books help her understand who she is and are helping her build a solid foundation on which to build her life. She is a great kid and is a positive influence to her friends. What a difference classics make.

I look at my own childhood and can see a great contrast. I too read many books, but hardly any classics. I spent my time in broken and bent books, and unfortunately that describes my childhood as well, broken and bent. As I look back, I can see how having a mentor would have made all the difference. If I had had someone to help me find the classics and who could have inspired me to read them, what a different life I could have had. What pain and sorrow I could have avoided. With the guidance of a mentor I could have learned what is right or good. I could have had the strength to choose the good when faced with temptations and trials. What a difference mentors make.

I can see the importance of having a core book, to have something in your life to use as a measuring rod. How can I decide if a book is a classic without a core book? What standard do I use? How do I decide if anything is right or wrong? Growing up without a core book, I know what it is like not to have one. Life without a core or foundation is awful. You have to learn everything by your own mistakes; a painful and miserable way to live. That is the benefit of the scriptures and classics. You can see the mistakes of others, and realize that you don’t have to make those mistakes in your own life. You can learn the “easy way.” What a difference a core book makes.

These were my thoughts as I was reading Les Misérables. I didn’t grow up reading classics, but I can read them now. I can look at the Bishop and try to follow his example: “the bishop’s day was full to the brim with good thoughts, good words, and good actions.”[1] I can look at Jean Val Jean and have the courage to make the right choice in the most difficult of circumstances. These classics and my Heavenly Father can be my mentors. I can be inspired by them to learn what is right and to then choose it. I don’t need to envy others; I can live it myself!


[1] Victor Hugo, Les Misérables. (New York: Signet Classics, 1987), p. 54

As for Me and My House

Laddie is one of my favorite books. I love the strong characters and the good values and principles that are expressed by the author. But, I think the thing that impressed me most in my reading this time, was the contrast between the Stantons and the Pryors.

Mr. Stanton was a loving father. He spent time with each of his children. He helped them study and shared his passions with them. He was a wonderful husband. He loved his wife immensely and treated her with the greatest respect. He was respected by his neighbors and went out of his way to help them. He focused on serving others and making his community better. He valued education and shared his knowledge with his family and the community. He faithfully attended and served in his church. He had strong faith in God and prayed often. He was a great leader and remained calm in the face of conflict and struggles. He focused on beauty and making the world a better place, especially his farm. Mr. Stanton was a great man.

Mr. Pryor was well educated. He had great knowledge, but kept himself at a distance from others. Prestige and having a high place in society were his goals. Having a “title” was more important than “being” a good citizen. He loved children and was kind to Little Sister, but he wasn’t a particularly loving father. He placed the opinions of others above his love for his family. He loved his wife, but did not respect her opinions or treat her well. He was angry and bitter and quick to loose his temper. He believed in God, but abandoned his faith when faced with trials and struggles. Instead of asking God for help, he blamed God and refused to forgive. Mr. Pryor had the potential to be a great man, but he was not.

Mrs. Stanton worked hard to provide for her family. She loved her children and spent many hours teaching them and guiding them. She was a loving wife and completely devoted to her husband. She had great faith in God and often prayed. She truly loved others and would open her home to anyone in need. She helped all of her neighbors, even those who were difficult to love. She shared the knowledge she had with others and encouraged them to improve themselves. She loved beauty and worked hard to make her home a loving place. She was brave and strong and willing to protect her home and family. She stood up for what was right and was a great example to others. Mrs. Stanton was a “good woman.”[1]

Mrs. Pryor was a kind woman. She loved her children. She believed in God, but did not have great faith. She loved her husband, but was not a helpmeet. She was very concerned with appearances. She was weak and full of fear. She did not have the courage to stand up for what was right. She let her emotions dominate her behavior. She hid from her problems and refused the help of others. Mrs. Pryor had grace, but was neither a “lady” nor a “good woman.”[2]

The greatest contrast I see in these families is faith. The Stantons had great faith. They relied on God and made Him a part of their daily lives. When they were faced with trials and tribulations, they prayed. They didn’t try to solve the problem by themselves; they turned to God. The Pryors had weak faith. God was not part of their lives. They did not pray; they blamed God instead.

What a difference God makes! God can take an ordinary man and make him great. He can take a lady and make her a good woman. With God all things are possible. I choose to have faith. As for me and my house, we will serve the lord. (Joshua 24:15)

[1]Gene Stratton Porter, Laddie: A True Blue Story (California: Norilana Books, 2007) p. 292
[2] ibid. p. 290, 292