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.
Poetry has always spoken to me differently. I obsess over lyrics, words, and will hang on things people say for weeks. I see such beauty in the way words have weight. A squad mate read this bible verse to us and I started to sob. I never realized how much beauty this passage holds. I had always seen the Bible as this book of rules and religion. My eyes have been opened to such a different view of reading the Bible. There is so much poetry and pain in writers words throughout the Bible. I encourage you to watch a video or read about why the writer writes what they do before reading and what the culture context is, what is happening at that time, and to whom it’s being written to. This piece, a timeless piece, is bringing light to the way life has seasons just as the years do. Often, and I’ll speak for myself to keep from accusing you, I expect my life to keep at a constant peak. All things must be good or else I’m doing something wrong and everything needs to change or else I will be stuck in misery for the rest of my time on this planet. I hear the drama, but truly in seasons of pain it feels like it will last forever and that God is punishing me and betraying me. As I read this passage I felt so different about life. There’s time for laughing, AND time for weeping. There’s a time for both. There’s room to embrace each season you’re in knowing a new season is to come soon. Read this passage out loud and hang onto the words a bit longer than you normally would. There’s a time for everything under the sun.
What time is it for you?
Dang, what a great of not only all the seasons we will go through in life, but also that we can look at them with joy and gratefulness because he is good through them all!
I needed that … Thank you for the reminder! Life throws us many curve balls, but we can’t let the fear of striking out keep us from playing the game. I also believe we can experience multiple seasons at once …. For example, mourning the loss of Grandpa yet – rejoicing knowing he is in heaven and no longer suffering; Another example, feeling sad as I miss you – yet happy knowing you are beaming with joy helping others in need. I love you!
Thanks Camden. I like how you share what this passage means to you and tell us how to make it more meaningful to us. Great ideas,