A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. SUE BENNETCH:
A SEASON FOR EVERYTHING
It’s hard to believe that August is upon us. I do not know about you, but it seems the summer has sped by. A friend of mine sent a picture to me and on it was a red leaf, with the caption: is Fall really near? She got many comments, mostly an assortment of memes screaming, “NO!”
We pack so many things into the summer. We golf, swim, have cookouts, go on vacation, garden, reap our harvest, etc.
Perhaps her red leaf was the reason I found myself in Ecclesiastes 3:8 for the last week or two.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break 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 away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
It tells me that throughout every season of life we experience both good and challenging times. We look for the good times and brace for the not so good times. Yet, if we can relate to this passage, we are simply experiencing life.
And so I ask myself and you: As we read through this part of Ecclesiastes, how are we doing? Are we in balance with the cycles of life? Can we really enjoy the laughing, dancing, embracing, loving, peaceful times, if we hold our breath and hope that weeping, mourning, losing, hating will never come to us?
Instead let’s live each day to the fullest. Let’s know that throughout the seasons, God is with us. So when there is laughter – let’s laugh; and when it is time to weep – weep.
So as we approach August, enjoy each moment, each sunrise, each sunset. And know that we are not alone. Our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers are also experiencing life.
Blessings,
Sue