A Time and a Different Season

Journal 2006 07 16
A Time and a Different Season

Captain Lewis, his seven soldiers and their ten horses arrive at the Great Falls at sunset. Lewis sketches the Great Falls in the evening and following morning noting, “these falls have abated much of their grandure since I first arrived at them in June 1805, the water being much lower at preset than it was at that moment, however they are still a sublimely grand object.” Can’t you just here the ‘60’s rock band, The Byrds, singing “there is a season, turn turn turn…?” How different the inbound journey from the outbound! What a difference a season makes. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV) A different season.

“When Capt. Lewis left us, he gave orders that we should wait at the mouth of Maria's river to the 1st of Sept., at which time, should he not arrive, we were to proceed on and join Capt. Clarke at the mouth of the Yellow-stone river, and then to return home: but informed us, that should his life and health be preserved, he would meet us at the mouth of Maria's river on the 5th of August.” Sgt. Gass

And Captain Clark is working his way down the Yellowstone River looking for a tree large enough for a canoe big enough to be of use to them. They have yet to find one. Today marks the first buffalo killed and dined on for Clark and his force. More importantly, they fashion booties from the raw elk hide for the hooves of their horses. They horses are suffering from the continual journey over rocks and stones. Without horseshoes the rocks act like sandpaper grinding down their hooves. “ I had Mockersons made of green Buffalow Skin and put on their feet which Seams to releve them very much in passing over the Stoney plains.” In fact, Clark notes the presence of a type of stone that would make an excellent grinding material.

So Clark sees only one course of action, to proceed on! “…no other alternetive for me but to proceed on down untill I can find a tree Sufficently large &c. to make a Canoe.”

It is a different time and season for the inbound travelers spread out across the soon to be emerging American West. And although the way is still rough and things have changed. You can tell from their record that their minds are alert to the task and they are taking great pleasure in a level of familiarity with the wonders they find. They are also still noting the troublesome things like mosquitoes, snakes and bears that hinder their advance. We have not heard of the prickly pear cactus that so tortured their portage last fall. And I believe they see the bears with great respect and a sense of warfare to overcome the raw power of the strength of the most magnificent bruin.

Do we see that despite the familiar ground of today that we are operating in a different time and season from any we’ve known before? I know what happens to me when I ‘m around that which is familiar. I lose interest to the degree of my familiarity. If we’ve grown bored or impatient with our daily lives lets ask God to let us see the times and seasons He has set before us that we might advance the Kingdom of God into territory that He intends to move from unfamiliar to familiar. Take courage in His vision, not ours.

Proceed on,