“To everything, turn, turn, turn / There is a season, turn, turn, turn” says a popular Byrds song. Is your life turning? Perhaps you or a family member are graduating preschool, high school, or graduate school. Perhaps you have recently begun a new job, or lost an old one. Perhaps you’ve been diagnosed with a new illness, or an old illness has gone in remission. Perhaps a new relationship has begun for you; perhaps one has ended. Our lives are often in flux, and my guess is that most of you reading this are experiencing a turning somewhere in your life.
The Byrds song is loosely based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which reads:
3For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
I find this scripture both challenging and comforting. It is challenging in the sense that it reminds us that there is a time for both things that are pleasant and things that are unpleasant; time for things that are joyful and that are painful. It reminds us that our joys and pleasures are temporary, for a season of mourning will come too; this challenges us to enjoy and savor those moments when they come.
It is also comforting because it reminds us that even when things are painful, or scary, or very difficult, we are in the midst of a season that will, truly, pass. Sometimes in the midst of a deep depression or an excruciating grief, we may forget there was ever a time of joy and have a hard time believing there ever will be a time of joy again. This passage in Ecclesiastes reminds us that all of these times pass eventually. If now is a time for weeping or mourning or loss for you, take comfort in knowing that there will soon be time for laughter and dancing and seeking.
You are invited to a Transitions Workshop, led by Katie, on Saturday, July 17th from 1:00-3:00pm in the Fellowship Hall. We will examine the ways that we experience all of life’s transitions, large and small, joyful and painful, and learn strategies for coping with the painful aspects of transitions. A free will offering will be collected for the counseling scholarship fund.