A time for everythiNG

Written by Serena Koch

As we reach the last few weeks of summer harvest, a well known passage in Ecclesiastes has been on my mind:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ 

God created natural rhythms in our lives by way of seasons, like an internal clock that tells us when it’s time to grind or time to rest and recuperate.

After clearing the zucchini and summer squash garden bed this past week, we started preparing it for the winter season— smoothing out a layer of compost over the ground before topping it with straw mulch for cover in the cold months. It was time to let the ground rest.

It’s only natural to feel the deep tired that comes at the end of summer. And while there is always work to be done and preparations to be made for the following seasons, it’s also important to listen to our bodies if they are telling us to rest, reflect, or slow down for a while. It’s countercultural, for sure. And true rest likely looks different from what the world says that it is, but it’s an undeniable component of our humanity. 

There is a time for everything. After the hectic and beautiful chaos of summer, let your body and soul be still. As the seasons change, so do we. It’s time to rest.