There is a Time for Everything

(Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

When talking with a friend about her impact on this world I heard God’s rich wisdom in nearly every aspect of her life. She’s emphatically humble. How’s that for an oxymoron? She’s also devoutly Christian. Growing up in a Catholic household, she was exposed to God at a very early age and embraced him from the beginning. “I always felt His presence,” she admitted. “My first Communion in second grade was an overwhelming experience for me. I felt so blessed and valued,” she continued. She said that it was something you did and that maybe she didn’t understand the full significance of it at the time.

What does an elementary school teacher and grandmother in 2021 have in common with a Dutch watchmaker who lived through the horrors of Europe during World War II? Not much and everything.

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck 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;
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

Ecclesiastes has been attributed to have been written by Solomon, the tenth son of King David. Whether he actually penned this wisdom letter is irrelevant. The writer was a teacher, a pastor of sorts. In this very popular piece of scripture, he points out the inevitability of good and bad, trouble and evil in life. In verses 1-8 there are 14 diametrically opposite pairs. Good, then bad. Ultimately, the writer points out that by expecting unchanging happiness in a changing world, will always end in disappointment.

I met my friend at a cross country race when my son was in his first year of high school. She and her husband were enthusiastic sports parents and much gentler than our son’s parents. We knew nothing about the high school life as parents, much less this strange sport of cross country. Our kids already knew each other and our families connected immediately from that point forward. We spent the next 4 years attending races, 4 seasons of tennis, and one year of field hockey – our daughter played too. It’s amazing how well you get to know other parents when you spend so much time together.

Eventually our children graduated high school, but our friendship continued. We got together for pickup tennis, football games, barbecues, parties, and vacations. We joked that if their daughter and our son would marry we could be family. Then one day we received that phone call. My friend’s husband had unexpectedly died from an embolism.

Their children grew up attending church every Sunday. God’s love was abundantly visible to them. It was in their fiber. “Some people have asked me if I was mad at God after my husband’s passing,” my friend confided. “They said, why would God do this to you? I said, why not?” Many people crumble when something this tragic happens to them, but not my friend. Some people withdraw. Some fall into despair. Some give up, asking why me? My friend said, “Why not me?”

Ecclesiastes points out that everything under the sun (or heaven) is as God made it and not as it appears to us. A season is a specific time appointed by God for its being and his purpose, which no human can change. The 14 paired verses shows us that today’s positive activity, can be followed by tomorrow’s negative. We laugh and then we will mourn.

My friend told me that only through her faith and her faith community, could she have gotten through those low times. “The support and love from my faith family gave me such peace.” My friend is a mom, grandmother, and a teacher. I have always suspected, but I learned from our conversation what an amazing impact she has had on other people’s lives. She was committed to leading her own kids to Christ’s body — the church. As a public school teacher, she’s not allowed to profess her faith, but the way she lives her life is just as effective as a public testimony to Jesus Christ. Without a doubt, her spiritual gift is encouragement. She’s positive, supportive, and calm. Her loving concern for children’s souls was so obvious to me when she told me, “I worry about kids who have no background in faith. Kids need something to come from,” she added.

A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
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 of war,
And a time of peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 – 8

There is so much of God’s wisdom in this passage of scripture. Our activities in this world and what we do in between the lines is significant but the timing is out of our hands. Accepting that we are not in control of our circumstances is not meant to bring us to despair, it is meant to bring peace of mind and even comfort. We realize that we’re powerless to control our seasons, and only God is in control and that there is purpose behind all of it.

The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on our world. Feelings of isolation and depression are prevalent even in church communities. Worship in church is meant to be a time of collective prayer, submission, confession, and praise. Without this channel, many people are running dry. “My faith has taken a hit for the past year,” my friend sighed. “I miss the community, the rituals, all of it.” What gets you though, I asked her. She replied, “When you see people doing good things, Christian things, for others, you’re seeing them serving like Christ. It gives me hope.”

Little did she know or admit, that she’s also one who gives people hope. My friend lives the Christian example like the Apostle Andrew, Peter’s brother. She’s not the showy big and bold speech giver, she’s the confident, yet quiet and unassuming presence encouraging everyone she comes in contact with. “How would people know you’re a Christian, if you wouldn’t tell them you go to a church,” I asked. “That’s a good question. By my deeds. By my service,” she answered.

“When you see the good things Christians do, helping others in this world, it’s symbolic of Jesus’ influence,” my friend summarized. “For 2,000 years, you can see what His hand has done in this world.”

Ecclesiastes reminds us that our seasons are in God’s hands. We need to wait upon the Lord. His timing is every bit as important as his will. He doesn’t ask for us to understand, he just asks for us to trust.

Cornelia Arnolda Johanna “Corrie” ten Boom was a Dutch Christian watchmaker who eventually became a writer. During World War II, she worked with her father and other family members to help many Jews escape from concentration camps by hiding them from the Nazis in her home. Eventually, they were discovered and arrested. Corrie later declared that she did this because her actions reflected God’s will. She risked everything, including her life, to be a servant of Christ. That was secondary to her.

Corrie ten Boom said, “The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.”

What does an elementary school teacher and grandmother have in common with a Dutch watchmaker? Serving, giving, and knowing that under God there is a time for everything.

Key Applications:

1. Knowing the the beginning and ending of your life is in God’s hands, would you do anything differently if you knew when you were going to die? Would you be at peace or have deep regret?
2. What have you contributed (donated) to others’ lives? Do you feel the need to help others? Are you empowered to start now? If so, make an effort to get involved serving others less fortunate than you.
3. Jesus asked us to follow him. What does that mean to you? What are ways that show you follow him?

Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.