September 19 | Embracing Today

Today’s reading from Ecclesiastes 1–3 and 2 Corinthians 11:16–33 invites us to reflect on life's changing seasons and the ways God forms us through experiences we choose as well as those we never ask for. Both passages remind us that faithful formation happens over time as we learn to remain present through joy, weakness, suffering, and uncertainty.In Ecclesiastes, the Teacher looks honestly at the rhythms of human life and acknowledges that there is a season for everything. Birth and death, planting and harvesting, grieving and dancing all belong to the reality of life under heaven, teaching us that wisdom includes learning to live faithfully within the season we have actually been given.In 2 Corinthians, Paul describes the suffering, danger, weakness, and pressure that have marked his calling. His experience reminds us that following God does not remove difficult seasons, but it can shape the way we understand ourselves and remain faithful when life moves in directions we did not expect.Together, these passages invite us to notice the season we are living in today without rushing to escape it or trying to force it into something else. They encourage us to reflect on how God may be forming us through both the joy and the pain that are already present in our lives.