A Time for All Events in Life- Ecclesiastes 3
and an appropriate time for every activity on earth:
a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.
a time for war, and a time for peace.
One of the things I love most about the Bible is that is full of common sense. Honestly, there are so many things that I read and think, wow, life would be easier if I just did "x" or saw the world in way "y". This is one of those scriptures that really made me stop and think today. It comes from Ecclesiastes, a book full of common sense, which was written by one of the wisest men that ever lived.
The idea is that everything has its own time, its own moment. There are going to be trying times in our lives when we weep, when we lose someone that we love, when we must fight for something, when we need to keep our mouths shut and there are times when we have to let someone or something go. Life is full of beautiful moments too- births, peace, laughter, healing and love.
So how do we deal with the huge range of feelings and emotions? Paul writes to the Romans that they are to "Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer." (Romans 12:12) Basically, live in the moment and be sustained by prayer. This is also addressed by Jesus in Matthew when he says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." (Mttw 6:34) God knows what tomorrow will bring and is preparing us for it. He also promises to be there with us.
What a simple idea to just take each as it comes, to stop worrying about tomorrow or next week. I believe that by embracing both the good and the bad and dealing with it appropriately, we become better people. Yes, that may mean allowing ourselves to feel pain instead of living in denial, but also means that we truly experience joy, love, laughter. By fulling experiencing the bad, we are able to heal and move past so that we can fully enjoy the good times ahead.
As a girl who loves to plan, this is a hard one for me to grasp. I hope to take this idea and start taking life moment by moment, to slow down and live each day as it is. By doing this I totally believe that life will be fuller.
Please share any thoughts you have about this passage. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for this article. You hit the nail right on the head with your comment about taking the bad times with the good. While the bad times are rough, I know that those are the times when I've grown the most. Those times also really help me appreciate the good times, to truly savor them! I've also leaned that even in the bad times, I can still find bits of good and beauty here and there! Thanks again for this blog, keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThanks Karla (Jody). I didn't think about that. Sometimes the worst times can actually bring out the best in people. I don't want to have to deal with bad times, but it's comforting to know that somewhere there is some good. We have a sign at the store that says, "There is always, always, always something to be thankful for." I love that.
ReplyDeleteI love that. So true. I'm very bad to live in denial. If I would accept somethings and move on, I'd be much happier. Have I told you lately that I absolutely love your blog???
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog via the Christian Mom blog hop. Thanks for sharing. I needed to hear that today. Another thought on this topic I had recently was the small scale of our time here on Earth in comparison with eternity. When we can begin to grasp that, most things are of little eternal consequence and we can better deal with the trials and difficulties come--and live in the moment. You can read more "common sense" advice in The Book of Mormon....or my blog. There is nothing like scripture to direct and guide your life.
ReplyDeleteAli from VB