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What Time Is It?

             There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, 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)

To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracin'

To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late (The Byrds, Turn, Turn, Turn)

 

I can’t read the Scripture passage above without the tune wandering through my head. But, it’s time for business. A time to die? Kill? Tear down? Weep? Mourn? There is time for a lot of things we don’t think there should be time for. Without the negatives, the positives may not be possible. Perhaps more importantly, what we think of as negative may only be negative because we lack perspective. We might think killing is a great idea if it saves the life of a loved one. Without the capacity to mourn, would we really have the capacity to dance? If we lacked the ability to go to war, would we have peace? Or would we be oppressed, dominated, and controlled?

Greek philosophers often spoke of moderation between two extremes as the best place to live. At the very least, the ability to move back and forth, not to either extreme, but not being stuck in one spot has its merits.

As I look at the list, I’d like to pick one, or maybe as many as three and announce to God, “now is the time to _____.” Healing, mending, and speaking are obvious choices, but I suspect I’d be wrong.  I think the wiser idea is to ask God what time it is. 

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