1 To everything there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to break down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to count as lost,
a time to keep and a time to discard,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

I feel like life is busy and full of different things to do every day: making breakfast, getting the kids to school, writing a talk, opening the church hall for a tradie, picking the kids up again, driving to sport or piano, dinner, Growth Group, sleep. Then the next day it all begins again—with a different list of things to do.

This passage in Ecclesiastes describes how the days, weeks and months of our lives often feel. It describes many of the joys of life. There are times to dance and gather, embrace and laugh. But also times to weep, mourn, tear down and die.

It describes life in a fallen world, where we experience moments of deep love and joy, but also times when the right response is to grieve or hate the evil we see around us.

We cannot control the passage of time and we cannot control what events we will have to face in life. Life will be full of ups and downs. I am thankful for the honesty of this passage. Rather than pretending everything is ok, the passage gives a true and honest description of what life is like. It reminds me to trust God for my days, to depend on him on the hard days and to give thanks to him for the joyful days. I’m also thankful that we can look forward to eternity, when the passage of time will no longer be marked by highs and lows, but instead by the unending joy of being with our Lord Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assisant Minister.