Wednesday in the Word

Happy hump day, my jellobeans! I hope this past week has been treating you well.

I wanted to share a little bit of what I have been meditating over lately:

“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

I’ve always loved “A Time for Everything” in Ecclesiastes, as it serves as a pleasant reminder that God is in every moment. Though in our worldly understanding, there are “bad” times versus “good” times, but Ecclesiastes reminds us that it’s simply time. As we celebrate birth, we must also recognize death, and both are a part of this fallen world.

I learned last week that while I was in the hospital with my mother, a colleague’s aunt had passed away. This aunt was older, and while death coming soon was to be expected, it wasn’t expected to be so soon. My colleague shared that she wasn’t able to sleep for a few days, as she was close to her aunt, who was also her godmother. Of course, I don’t think the most loving or caring thing to say would be that God has His timing for everything - as even though He does, it does not cancel out grief and mourning on this side of eternity. Scripture even acknowledges that there is a time for mourning, which shows us that God understands us and is with us in these moments. When Lazarus died, despite knowing he will be resurrected, scripture says: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Though we are but one of billions of people alive today, and one of the trillions of people who lived and will live, God sees us and knows us. He understands us and feels as we do. We are not too insignificant to Him, though we are such a small, minute part of His creation. That is how vast His love is for us.

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” -Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭30‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Even though our existence is but a speck in time, and our momentary feelings a fraction of that, He saw us as worthy of sacrifice. He deigned to live as a commoner on Earth, knowing what would happen. He experienced betrayal, humiliation, and pain. He tasted bitter, sour, and blood for you and me.

And as we live here on earth in real time, we experience the full spectrum of humanity - life and death, healing and breaking, love and hate, war and peace. There is so much going on currently in the world, and it’s been rough checking in on friends with family in the Middle East. Though there is mourning and fear and grief, I pray that we can be a steady friend to walk with them, as Jesus walks with us steadily through the dark valleys in our own lives.