Passage of the Day - April 20, 2011

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

 ¹There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--
    ²A time to give birth and a time to die;
         A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
    ³A time to kill and a time to heal;
         A time to tear 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 stones and a time to gather stones;
         A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
    ⁶A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
         A time to keep and a time to throw away.
    ⁷A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
         A time to be silent and a time to speak.
    ⁸A time to love and a time to hate;
         A time for war and a time for peace.

Balance and doing the right things and having the right attitudes at the right times are the keys to a happy and effective life, but are extremely difficult to navigate.  Many of us lean too far in one direction and we do one when we should do the other.  We argue so much over what to do when because we refuse to accept that it might ever be time for the opposite.  For example, many people may think it is always the right thing to do to sew together and try to restore relationships, but in reality at times it is necessary to tear the relationship apart and move on.  Other people may cut off relationships way too quickly, not making the effort at restoration.  There are times where we hold onto tradition to a fault.  There are times where we throw away the grand traditions for the sake of something new for the wrong reasons.  Let us all take stock of this passage and keep it in mind when we find ourselves in our next argument.  It is possible we may not be right.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)