A Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3.1-8

A Time for Everything

1There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

2a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7a time to tear and a time to mend,

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. 

Seasons.  They change.  Just a few days ago, the first day of fall and it was 78*.  It was toasty warm out.  Our air conditioner was on.  And until yesterday, it had been on and off for nearly a month.  Today, I'm tempted to turn the heater on.  Right now it is 48*.  All the windows in my house are closed and we are all in long sleeves sweats and socks to keep our tootsies warm.  For dinner tonight, I am making loaded baked potato soup.  It's a first for us, so i can't wait to try it.  It's a recipe from my childhood best friend!  I miss her.  We hadn't seen each other in years {as in at least 15}, but we reconnected on facebook and I MISS HER!  But, so is life.  I can't wait to try this recipe though!  

Life.  It changes.  Yesterday was such a happy day for some people.  And a terribly tragic day for others.  Yesterday, I had another nephew born (don't know when we will get to meet him, when I will get to smoosh him and pinch his cheeks, but we will eventually).  He's such a cutie.  Then yesterday evening, another friend I have from my childhood (that I reconnected with via facebook), her precious 2 month old daughter left this earth to sit in Jesus lap.  I cannot fathom what this sweet family is going through.  Amy (my friend) wrote a post last night about sweet little Kyndall's passing ~ and her faith and trust in our loving Saviour just blew me away.  She and her husband are marvelous testimonies of God's goodness and grace.   If you think of it ~ please pray for this sweet family ~ Josh and Amy Covertt and their 2 other little ones Caroline and Josiah.

Me.  I'm changing.  So much about me is not the same as I was just last year, not to consider what I was a few years ago.  I like to think that I am changing for the better.  I still have my things I struggle with ~ family conflicts and things such as that.   But the Bible does say that there is a time for everything.  And for me this is my autumn season in my personal life.  A time to die to some things.  A time to heal from others.  A time to give up somethings, a time to refrain from others.  A time to be silent.  And a time to throw away.  A time to cast off, and a time to keep to myself.   A time to reevaluate some things.  And I am doing just that.  I'm refraining from relationships to keep the door open for hopefully a better relationship at a later point with some people.  And this is because my emotions are so raw about them, so hurt, that I have a hard time refraining from speaking hurtful things to them.  So, it is now my time to be silent to them to try to preserve a chance to at some point have a time that I can laugh, and embrace them later.  This is a time for me to leave things in God's hands and let HIM heal my wounded heart because I haven't been doing such a great job of it.  Bandaids don't really help when what is really needed is stitches.  There's a time for war ~ and a time for peace.  I'm praying for peace while warring within myself and I'm glad that God tells us that that is okay. 

And it is also that time of year for me that I need desperately to get my house in order.  This unorganized chaos is starting to drive me insane.  I need to give up some things ~ such as clothes I canNot fit into.  It just clogs my closet up.  And makes my husband think I have plenty of clothes ~ therefore, don't need to buy any.  And THAT my friends is unacceptable.  I need to accept that my fall decorating is done, so I can put away those boxes in the basement and do away with that clutter.  I need to clear my scrapbook desk off so I can start that again.  I need to pull out the next size up of clothes for my little guy.  His pants are looking a little like the flood is coming ;).  Why does he have to grow up?  But now is my season to accept that he is no longer my baby.  And there probably won't be anymore.  And I have to cast off those "mama wants a baby to snuggle" feelings cause they just grow up into little critters who eat you out of house and home :D and no longer let you snuggle :(  And need those pesky things like educating and such.  And this mama can only handle so much!
And now is the season I start thinking about how rich {or poor rather} Santa Claus is this year.  And I'm determined that Santa is going to go for more quality than quantity this year.  At least, I hope he does.   I hope he can :D. 

And I am needing to make our schooling go a little more smoothly.  Mama needs to start rolling her lazy butt out of bed earlier than I have been so we can get a jump start on this education thing!  They are starting to get the hang of their seatwork and homework and things!  I'm enjoying these days with my little guys who are quickly becoming young men!  And I love it! 

So what does this time of year mean for you?  For me, it's about change.  Good and bad, but all working into the plan that God has laid out for me!  And I am ever so grateful HE is willing to change me!