Echoes of Time

ECHOES OF TIME 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

For everything there is a season, 

A time for every activity under heaven.

A time to be BORN and a time to DIE. 

A time to PLANT and a time to HARVEST. 

A time to KILL and a time to HEAL.

A time to TEAR DOWN and a time to BUILD UP. 

A time to CRY and a time to LAUGH. 

A time to GRIEVE and a time to DANCE. 

A time to SCATTER STONES and a time to GATHER STONES. 

A time to EMBRACE and a time to TURN AWAY. 

A time to SEARCH and a time to QUIT SEARCHING. 

A time to KEEP and a time to THROW AWAY. 

A time to TEAR and a time to MEND. 

A time to be QUIET and a time to SPEAK. 

A time to LOVE and a time to HATE. 

A time for WAR and a time for PEACE.

            There have been a lot of times lately where I’ve been wondering why; why I have to go through everything I’m going through. I’ve wondered why life is really really hard sometimes. And why sometimes it feels like things are just spiraling and I can’t catch myself fast enough to stop from sliding back. I’ve wondered why I haven’t written as much as I used too. And I’ve wondered why things don’t seem like they’re getting easier. I’ve wondered why I have to play catch up, cause a year of my life was spent trying to get back to a place where I felt safe with myself. 

            I’m not gonna lie guys, sometimes you’re gonna go through things that will leave you broken down by the weight on your shoulders. Sometimes life likes to knock the wind out of you and leave you breathless. It’ll move so fast and so hard that you won’t know what to do. It will hurt. And sometimes it will scar. 

            Honestly, these last few weeks have been really hard for me. I’ve been struggling with a lot of questions and wondering why things aren’t the way I want them to be. I’ve wondered why, and asked God what he’s doing so many times. He’s been faithful through it all, but it’s still been a time of searching and trying to find some things I feel like I lost. 

            This passage though, has been one that has given me a lot of hope through a lot of questions. It’s been one I constantly go back to and remind myself of, because it’s something that I didn’t understand for a while, but now I do. And it’s weird cause Ecclesiastes is a very depressing and bleak book and yet in the midst of the darkness the author takes time to remind us of something so important. There’s a time for Everything. 

A time to be BORN and a time to DIE

            God has appointed a time for everyone. He knew the time we would be born, and He knows the time we will die. He’s given us moments on this earth, He’s given us breath to breathe and words to speak. He gave us LIFE. We were born, and we will die, there’s a time for both. But He also promised that death was not the end. Yes, there is a time to die. But that’s not where life ends. Death is where new life begins at the feet of the One who gave himself as a Sacrifice for our sins. 

A time to PLANT and a time to HARVEST 

            Planting takes work. You have to plant a seed, water it and wait for it to grow. Sometimes it takes a while. It can be hard waiting for something to grow to the point where we can see fruit from it. It can be hard waiting for something you spent so much time on to bloom and grow. Waiting is hard. But we wait, so that when the time comes, when that seed has grown into something we never could’ve imagined, we harvest the fruit from it. We get the fruit of our labor, we see the reward that comes from the work we put in. And we rejoice in a bountiful harvest. 

A time to KILL and a time to HEAL 

            There can be a time to kill. I know for me that word comes with some baggage and it’s a word we don’t often ponder too deeply. But there’s a time for it. Sin, for example, is something we should seek out in our lives and destroy. For me I have to daily kill thoughts in my head that I know are not right or true. So, there is a time for this. But there’s also a time for healing. There’s a time when the fighting has stopped, and we need to heal. There was a while in my life where I just fought and fought and fought cause that was all I could do. I felt like if I gave even a little ground, stopped for one second, that I’d lose. But I never took the time to heal. God taught me though, that it’s ok to take a break. It’s ok to take the time to need to get yourself right. God is waiting in the stillness to heal you. So, take time to dig deep into His Word and find healing. There is a time to heal. Take the time. 

A time to TEAR DOWN and a time to BUILD UP 

            This is important cause I feel like very often we don’t like to tear down things that we’ve built. I have a habit of building walls in my life. Walls to keep things in and to keep people out so I don’t get hurt. But there’s a time to tear those down. There’s a time to let people in and stop holding everything back. And sometimes there’s a time to tear down false things in your life. I’ve had to tear down idols before and lies that I stood on for too long. But take the time to build up things. Build a foundation on truth. Build your house on the Rock of Jesus Christ. Build relationships with people. Open up and let people in. 

A time to CRY and a time to LAUGH

            It’s ok to cry. It’s ok to be so overwhelmed by things and hurt that you cry. Jesus wept when Lazarus died. He didn’t think tears were a weakness, so why do we. And it doesn’t matter if you don’t think you have a reason to cry. Being overwhelmed is a reason. Being hurt is a reason. Don’t hold it in until you think your tears are valid. But also take the time to laugh. Cry, weep, be sad and overwhelmed, but take the time to laugh. 

A time to GRIEVE and a time to DANCE 

            There’s a time to grieve. There’s a time to mourn something lost. I’ve mourned a lot of things over the past year as I’ve remembered and questioned and wondered why. And that’s ok, cause there’s a time for that. I’ve mourned the loss of people. It’s ok to grieve. But when the time comes be ready to dance again. Be ready to feel joy again after the ache. Don’t let grief steal your joy. 

            I didn’t want to make this post super long, so I think I’m gonna make a part two for this and finish it up. I’ll probably write it tomorrow and post it either Thursday or Friday. Until then I’m praying this helped y’all and that you were encouraged.