To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecc 3.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
One of my grandsons was born on a Monday. That Wednesday, my father died. Next month we plan to celebrate 100 years since Dad’s birth and all that our lives are because we knew him.
Each of us has our time to make a difference in the lives of others.
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
Spring is the season of new life and planting; fall is the harvest. I have cherries in my freezer, the harvest from summer, waiting to become jam or pie filling. Warm food for cold days.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.
Sometimes we need to tear an old building down in order to construct a new one. A time to end one relationship. A time to find healing in another. A time to encourage each other.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
Life’s journey is filled with valleys and hills. The times of weeping and mourning make the laughter and dancing vivid and rich. Our sorrow reminds us we are not yet in heaven. Our joy gives a glimpse of what is to come for the faithful.
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time for grace and a time for justice.
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A recently wedded grandson told me his impressions of marriage. “What I thought would be easy was hard, and what I thought would be hard was easy.” Wisdom increased by following God’s way.
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
Our journey is one of material gain and loss, saving up, paying out, giving away. Discovering what is truly important and what we should discard. Finding blessing and passing blessing to others.
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
There are times to be quiet. To rest and find peace in silent fellowship with God. Time to find others and speak the truth we found in the silence.
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
History cycles war and peace. My dad was a navy corpsman in the South Pacific during World War II. Two of my sons have served in modern combat zones. War will only end at the end.
But today is our time to make peace with the one who holds our days in His hands. The season to find His purpose for us.