“‘I am about to go the way of all the earth,’ he said. ‘So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires…” (1 Kings 2:2-3, NIV).

It had been a long work day. My wife and I were alone, relaxed, eating Thai salads I had picked up on the way home. She shared a text she received from a college friend who wanted to connect. That led to her sharing the story of her performance in a Follies Night with sorority girls long ago. She had been assigned the role of dressing up in a very tight dress and wiggling across the stage with the lines, “They call me chewing gum, because I’m Wrigley all over.” Our grandchildren would have gasped.

We think of King David as the great king of Israel, but he had seasons of his life where that description could not define him: a boy watching sheep, a courageous youth with a small rock and great faith, a rebel against his king, an exile from his land, a friend of Jonathan, triumphant king of Israel, adulterer and murderer, a man driven from the throne by his own son, an elder king, an old man, frail and unable to keep warm in his bed, a dying man ready to go “the way of all the earth.” David lived season after season in his life, “a man after God’s own heart”—a man whom God had chosen to be His person within every season, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing miserably.

We too are people of seasons. My wife is no longer wiggling on a stage in a slinky dress, but at that age God had chosen her to be His woman within those follies. And now, as I watch her comfort a grandchild in her arms, I know God has chosen her to be His woman for this season as well. So, how do we deal with the changing seasons of life?

Be faithful: In whatever season God has placed us—seek His will, accomplish His purpose, walk closely to our Lord, trust, obey and deliberately serve.

Be satisfied: Some may miss the adventures and idealism of youth or long for the wisdom and security of age or wish God had given them a different role for the season they walk. However, we must not seek to be where God has not placed us unless He drives us in that direction. I must learn to be content whatever the circumstances (Philippians 4:11) and settle into His present plan with determination to be the one after His own heart for the now, serving faithfully in the present and preparing for future seasons in His plan.

Pass it on: As David reached “the way of all the earth,” he did not hold his seasons of life as a selfish gift from God. He drew Soloman close and passed on that which he had learned—a road map to follow. Throughout our lives, each of us is building a library of God’s work through us. In great humility, because it is not our work but His, we should be passing that legacy to those who come after us to help them become “the ones after God’s own heart.”

Dear God,

Let me serve faithfully within each season you have placed me. And help me pass it on.

Amen