– Written by Rev. Tambi Swiney
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
The writer of Ecclesiastes lays out a series of dichotomies in this oft-recited passage, as if we can only do one or the other in a particular season of life. But have you found yourself living on both sides of a phrase simultaneously? For instance, have you been searching for something while also giving up something? Have you felt led to be silent about one thing but prompted to speak about another? Have you wept over one circumstance in your life while also rejoicing over another?
In this period of the pandemic, what time is it for you? What is being born in your life today? What needs to die? What have you been planting? What needs to be uprooted? Take a moment and reread the passage. Allow the Spirit of God to give you insight into this season of your life.
Published on August 21, 2020
