Time for Everything
One night last week Ray went to the mailbox at just the right time to see some brief snow flurries. My camera captured this image beneath the security light on the porch.
The next day was brisk but the sun shone bright.
I took a walk and found some of the first wildflowers of spring.
Our daffodils began blooming in January this year.
Dandelions are already dotting our yard. Close by are fallen leaves.
I even saw an early bloom on the vinca I dug up from Mother’s yard several years ago.
Snow. Sunshine. Wildflowers. Daffodils. Fallen leaves. Vinca blooms. Each is a gift from God.
On Friday I took down my last Christmas decoration, a wreath decorated with silver and white snowflakes and pink glass balls. When folks have reminded me to put it away, I have told them that I was leaving it up for winter. Now that March is here, I have put it in the attic closet until next winter.
We often wish that our lives could be neatly divided into expected seasons, but the contrast of the snow and the wildflowers within 24 hours last week reminded me that our lives are often a mixture of, well, for lack of a better phrase, this and that. A needy friend texts in the middle of a reading lesson. A loved one dies in the middle of a busy season of life. Kids come down with the flu the day before your sister’s wedding.
Do you ever say as I do, “I don’t have time for this right now”? Always, always we must remember that our times are in His hands, that He numbers the very hairs on our heads, that He knows the name of each star, and that He loves us and cares about each triumph and trial.
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