For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break 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 cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, 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, ESV)
In a typical round, I can usually get one part of my game going while another part suffers. Hit a bunch of fairways and I’ll miss a bunch of greens. Hit a bunch of greens and I’ll putt like a chump. Hit it all over the yard and I’ll make every putt I see. Sound familiar? If I were a golfing psalmist, I might lament, “Why can’t I get all parts working at the same time?”
I find a similar theme happening in my life. I have shed more tears in 2020 than in my previous 52 years, yet I’ve laughed a reciprocal amount.
Thinking about this contrast reminds me of the song Turn! Turn! Turn!, written by Pete Seeger and made popular by The Byrds. It is basically an adaptation of today’s verses from Ecclesiastes put to music.
I have shed more tears in 2020 than in my previous 52 years, yet I’ve laughed a reciprocal amount.
And it’s these verses I continue to dwell on when reflecting upon the events of this year, particularly the fourth verse.
A time to mourn…
– Hearing my wife Susan’s appendix cancer diagnosis
– Walking with her through subsequent (and ongoing) treatment
– Feeling COVID-19 crush Lucy and Jane’s senior year
– Fretting Warren’s trip to the ER and Jane’s two foot surgeries
– Crumbling after leaving Lucy, then Jane, at college
And a time to dance…
– Devoting more hours to Scripture
– Feeling the presence of Jesus in the trials
– Renewing my focus on Susan
– Receiving increased financial support (despite the pandemic)
– Breaking par for the first time
(OK, the last one is weak sauce compared to the others, but it’s been a rough year, so I ask for some grace.)
This third chapter of Ecclesiastes is teaching me to lean into “every matter under heaven,” and despite the string of setbacks (break down), I continue to grow in my relationship with Christ (build up).
Paul advised believers in Colossae to “set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2 NIV). Employing that advice is allowing me to embrace it all down here, knowing the best season is yet to come.
Turn, turn, turn.
—
Drew Hamilton
August 24, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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