in it's time...

“There is an appointed time for everything…

A time to give birth and a time to die,

A time to plant and a time to uproot what has been planted,

A time to kill and a time to heal,

A time to tear down and a time to build up,

A time to weep and a time to laugh,

A time to mourn and a time to dance,

A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones,

A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing,

A time to search and a time to give up as lost,

A tome to keep and a time to throw away,

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together,

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

I am always thankful for this passage of Scripture and for the reminder that it speaks to my little Type A heart. As a 23 year old woman, I can say that I have experienced all of these different times and seasons in one way or another (outside of giving birth to a child, naturally).

Here on earth, we are confined by time; we seem to not have enough of it, seeking more; and the time that we have been given, we seek out to spend it most efficiently, filling our calendars to the brim and not allowing for rest and stillness. We squeeze the clock like a sponge, desperately, until those small drops, the last remnant of time, squeezes out onto our weak, clenched fists. But Solomon reminds us that we have time, and it is filled with abundance. He reminds us that we have time to weep over loss, whether physical or emotional; we have time to dance in the kitchen, thankful for God’s mercy and grace; we have time to be silent, not fearing wasted time and space.

I am learning that these times, or seasons, are never scheduled like we desire them to be, they never fit just-so between work and a coffee date; these times that Solomon speaks of are messy, and that’s simply life.

My wicked heart, the one that yearns for control and knowledge, desperately desires to reach new seasons, experience new times, praying myself out of and into different situations, seasons, relationships, etc. I love that our Great God does not allow us to pray ourselves out of or into different seasons of life, but rather allows us to embrace the time that He has given. He sees the vast expanse of my life; I only see today and the joys and trials of this season.

Friends, may time never confine us, may we embrace the various seasons He has us in and that He is preparing us for.