Meditation for June 5, 2008

From The Rev. Peter A. Munson

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

 

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

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

    a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;

    a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

    a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

    a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;

    a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;

    a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate;

    a time for war; and a time for peace.

 

Learning From The Seasons of Life

 

I don't think that Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 could have been written by a young person.  It is a passage that demonstrates some perspective.  Many things have happened in this person's life.  This person has experienced deep joy and also known great sorrow.  The writer knows something about relationships, knows something about life.

 

The older I get, the more "matters under heaven" I have experienced.  Perhaps another way to say that is this:  If you live long enough, you go through a lot of experiences and a lot of emotions!  Sooner or later, you experience all the great human emotions - joy/excitement, anger/frustration, sadness/grief, sexual feelings, fear/anxiety.  Sooner or later, you experience loss, and the pain of loss.  You have days when you feel like dancing, and days when you are not sure that you want to get out of bed.

 

Jesus' promise to us is that He will be with us through all of it.  He promises to be Emmanuel - God with us.  This may be the greatest promise in all of the Bible.  No matter what we go through, God will be there for us. God is not only with us.  God is also for us. And the fact that Jesus took on human form... the fact that God became one of us, and went through everything we go through as human beings, and even more... means that we have a Lord and a Friend who can completely identify with all of our joys and all of our struggles.

 

If we can remember this, perhaps we can also remember to ask ourselves, no matter what we are going through:  "Lord, what do you want me to learn from this season that I am going through right now?  Help me to learn what you want me to learn, and help me apply that learning in ways that benefit others, in ways that build your kingdom."

 

I told Julia recently that she has helped me identify and express emotions that I didn't even know I had twenty-five years ago.  That has been a tremendous gift that she has given me, a tremendous fruit of our marriage.  In our couples' seminars, we encourage people to not withhold the truth of what is going on for them.  What are your thoughts?  What are your feelings?  What is happening in your body (your body sensations)?  Do you have a lump in your throat?  A pain in your neck?  Butterflies in your stomach?  Do you feel strong in your chest?  Does it feel like your heart is melting?  We encourage our attendees' to share those sensations - whatever they are - with their partners.  This kind of sharing leads to a deeper and deeper connection between two people.

 

In the same way, no matter what we are going through, we can take that to God and share it with Him.  You might say, "Well, God knows that anyway."  Yes, but it is still a relationship - a relationship that deepens when things are shared.  And when we go to God, there is also the listening part of the relationship.  As I mentioned above, if we are confused or bewildered, we can say, "Lord, I am confused!  (I'm frustrated!  I'm ecstatic!)  I'm not sure why.  Help me learn what I need to learn through this situation."  And then we listen, and pay attention, and look for clues and hints that the Lord will give us about our situation, since He is close by, and cares about us, and wants to help.

 

You might be dancing right now.  You will not always be there.  You might be in a place of pain and loss and mourning right now.  You will not always be there.  Ask yourself, "What season of my life am I in right now?"  And ask yourself, "What can I learn from what I am going through?"  And ask God to help you in the learning process.  This is one of the primary ways we grow as disciples of Christ: we open ourselves up completely to what we are going through, and we open ourselves up to whatever God wants to teach us.

 

No matter what "season" you are in, may you open yourself up to all that season has to offer you.  And may you know our Lord to be present - and to be a guiding and compassionate presence - as you make your way.  "For everything there is a season..."