A Time for Everything

A Time for Everything 

 

 "There is an appointed time for everything.  And there is a time for every event under heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1

This past month has been a difficult month in some ways. My one and only grandmother, 82 years old this December 5th, underwent emergency triple bi-pass surgery and I and my mother have been helping to nurse her through her recuperation. It's been tough to see this strong, amazing woman so helpless and weak, but it is also inspiring to see her fight back and struggle against all the obstacles that she faces, gaining strength with each day that passes.

I've also faced some personal giants this month - spiritual battles that have left me exhausted but in awe at how God always equips us with just the right stone to bring those giants down.

Months like these can leave a person emotionally, physically, and spiritually empty - I know you've been there. Even as the giant falls and victory over personal trial begins to rise like a morning sun, even as the trauma of illness or loss begins to subside somewhat, the daily fight can have us daydreaming of better times - when everything was easy, everyone was healthy, and the road ahead wasn't a worry because the "now" was so smooth and calm.

It's in times like these that we must remind ourselves that "this too shall pass" - that this moment we are in right now is a season: a temporary hiccup that ultimately helps to shape us into the likeness of Christ. Actually, looking back on my life, I find it is during the tough, lonely, battle-filled seasons that I have known my God more, clung to His Word, seen His miraculous power, and allowed Him to change, renew, and draw me closer to Him. It is because of the battle that I see the true worth and joy of peace.

It is also during times like these that without saying a word, God uses us to show the world that He is real. When others around us fold, pack up and quit, we find the strength to pick ourselves back up again, start afresh, finding hope in our faith in Christ. Keep this always in mind: there is someone looking at you, watching to see if what you say you believe and Who you say you believe in is real... every victory for you is a testimony to someone that they can make it, too.

I don't know what giants you are facing today, but I do know that they will ultimately fall, that Jesus will bring you through, and that after this season passes, you will look back and know that you are His and that He was carrying you through this whole time.

"There is an appointed time for everything.  And there is a time for every event under heaven ~  
A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear 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 stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; 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