This Series will focus on the Bible - on Holy Scripture and passages I like - on characters in the Old Testament that I admire - on New Testament lessons that I am still learning - on the great things from the Best Book Ever!
Lately, I’ve had a somewhat strong desire to dig into Holy Scripture. To read it, to memorize it, to meditate on it, to love it.
But for me, reading the Bible doesn’t come naturally. I think for a lot of Catholics, reading the Bible doesn’t come naturally - at least not reading it on our own. We hear the readings at every Mass we go to, and if you attend Mass daily, over the course of 3 years, you hear almost every single passage from the Bible.
But it’s different listening to scripture as part of Mass, and reading or meditating on it at home on our own.
I’ve been struggling with where to start in regards to reading the Bible. People have given me different suggestions, but what I am doing right now is focusing on find passages that fit what I am going through. Right now, I am trying to focus my spiritual life on trusting God.
Last Tuesday, I received an answer to a prayer I had, and it wasn’t what I was hoping for. I was upset, but tried to suppress my feelings. A friend of mine sent me a picture with a scripture passage on it, and that small act reminded me that I should be trusting in God.
I found a couple other images with scripture that I liked, so I decided to look up those passages in context. I opened my Bible and looked up Isaiah 46:4, and Philippians 4:6, Ecclesiastes 3:11. The passages were good, but none of them stood out to me. But when I was looking up Ecclesiastes 3:11, my eye caught a passage that seemed familiar.
Everything Has Its Time
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 throw 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 throw 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
I don’t know how you feel about this passage in the Bible, but when I read this on Tuesday, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. This passage is all about trusting in God’s timing. And it applies to all areas of our lives; everything we are going through!
A Time to be Born, and a Time to Die
If you have read my previous posts, or seen my insta account, then you know that I want to be a mother. I want to have children, to raise them in the faith, to love them. That prayer hasn’t been answered yet, but God’s timing is always perfect. There is a time to be born, and there is a time to die. God knows exactly when my children (if any) will be born. He knows when they need to be alive so that they can share His Gospel with the world. He already has a plan, and that plan applies to me too.
For us living through COVID-19, or if you are like me and love romanticizing the past, we can find ourselves wishing that we were living in a different time. But there is a time to be born and a time to die God put us here, in 2020, for a reason. If we were supposed to be born at another time, we would have been. Even though things are difficult for everyone right now, we are exactly where God wants us to be. Our job is to discover how God wants us to use this time.
A Time to Break Down, and a Time to Build Up
This is definitely a time to break down and build up. Break down insecurities, barriers between family and friends, to-do lists. It is a time to break down old habits, bad habits. It’s a time to break down our negative feelings and emotions, so we can find way to build ourselves up.
This is a time for us to build up our self esteem, confidence, self love. It’s also a time to build up relationships with those around us: our neighbours, friends, family, God. It’s a time to build up good habits that will strengthen us, and bring us closer to God.
A Time to Weep, and a Time to Laugh
The news is filled with negativity, sadness, cruelty, pain. The coronavirus has cause so much stress, heartache, and pain. And sometimes it can seem like there is no end in sight. It is ok to cry. It is ok to weep. It’s ok to be sad over the things in our lives that are sad. But even though there is a time to cry, that time shouldn’t last forever.
Laughter is the best medicine! I’m a big believer that laughter can help any situation! It won’t solve all the problems, it won’t fix every mistake or crisis, but it will help us feel lighter. It will help us see the good and positive around us. It will help us to remember the good times.
A Time to Embrace, and a Time to Refrain from Embracing
If any of you have met my second youngest sister, you will know that she does not like hugs. At all! If she is at a Catholic weekend retreat, she will hug people when she leaves, or when she sees people that she hasn’t seen in a long time, but overall, she avoids hugs like the plague (haha). But for people like me who love hugs, social distancing is so hard! I can’t hug my grandparents when I see them over FaceTime. I can’t hug my friends or play with their kids.
But just think of how nice it will be to hug people once all of this is over! To spend time with those we love. Even though social distancing is hard, we can make it through to the end. There are so many ways to connect with people today. Take advantage of those!
A Time to Keep, and a Time to Throw Away
We have the time! Let’s keep the things we need, like our food, clothes, time with family, time for ourselves, time with God. Let’s throw out the things that we don’t need, like old clothes, toys that are no longer used, negativity, selfishness.
A Time to Love, and a Time to Hate; a Time for War, and a Time for Peace
How many of us are filled with hate right now? Hate for the coronavirus, hate for the rules we have to live with, hate for the family members or roommates that are starting to get on our nerves.
How many of us feel like we’re in a war? Battling with the health of ourselves and families, battling with growing frustrations towards those in authority, or battling with our own struggles in addition to the global pandemic.
How many of us would rather feel love and peace right now, if we don’t already?
In these times of war and hate, we need to focus on the good, the positive. We need to draw closer to God. God has a plan for us. He placed us here for a reason, and His timing is always perfect. We may not know what He has in store, but if we are in the time of war and hate right now, know that the time of peace and love are coming!
I don’t know about you, but I found this passage to be so inspiring. God has a time for everything. No matter what season I am in, what is going on in my life, I know that I can trust God with the outcome. God will get me through this season, just like He has all the other seasons of my life. He has a time for everything!
This is a trying time for us, but if we lean on God, we can get through this. Maybe not easily, but we can! When you feel discouraged, sad, worried, overwhelmed, remember that God has a plan for you. Everything has a time, a season. We might be in the time of breaking down, weeping, war, and hate, but that won’t last forever. You can get through this season. God wants to bring you into the time of building up, laughing, embracing, love, and peace. He is with us through this journey, and we can trust in Him.
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