There is a time for everything……And a season for every activity under the heavens.
God has created a world in which, amazingly, certain events take place because it is the right time for them. When the human body needs nutrients, it creates a sensation of hunger. When Spring approaches, the snow melts. The process of nature is an impressive cycle which, sometimes through dramatic change, always settles into beauty. For our life events, however, an important obstacle to peace is choice.
2a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
As I say, the problem is choice. Throughout childhood, we learn the basics of appropriate behavior. As adults, we face a more complex version of the same issues. Is this the time to tear down or to build? Should I be silent, or do I need to speak up? Our spiritual needs similarly revolve around a central question. What action is appropriate at this time?
With the dawn of the new year, we tend to make unrealistic plans for change in our lives. What a small step it would be to focus more on spiritual decision-making… and with such a great result. We can use Ecclesiastes 3 to fortify our spirituality and mediate on what it is to make the wisest decisions. Though we all make mistakes, we can rest in verse eleven, which says,
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Despite our sinful, self-centered, and impulsive ways, we can have faith that everything will end well, as our Lord has always intended. Maybe we should simply resolve to make better resolutions? Verse fourteen is a perfect conclusion:
Natalie
Wray
