Something to Think About - A Time for Everything
As the hands of the clock inevitably start off in the morning hours, the early time in our life is spent being transformed from a helpless infant to a child which can walk, talk, and perform other simple tasks.
As time goes on, we become teenager who is interested in not much more than getting a car, hanging out with our friends, and dating. Eventually, when it is time to settle down… we find that special someone who we want to spend the rest of our life with. As our biological clock continues to tick, we become more focused on the time for having children of our own, so that they can put us through everything we put our own parents through while we simultaneously attempt to balance our career and social activities in the process. Eventually, we spoil our grandchildren and retire. And then, just as most of us do on a daily basis now, we will most assuredly ask the question, “Where has the day gone?”
Those of us who are old enough… or who have ever listened to our parents’ record collection… may remember a song which I find very applicable. It called Turn! Turn! Turn! (or “To Everything There is a Season”) And was performed by the Byrds on their 1965 Album by the same name.
Part of the lyrics read, “To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven A time to be born, a time to die...” By far, the most unique thing about this song is the fact that every word of it, save for the occasional “Turn! Turn! Turn!” is taken straight out of the book of Ecclesiastes chapter three. I love this passage of the Scriptures, mostly because it was written several thousand years ago, it still rings with a truth which is often reiterated even to this day.
And a time to every purpose, under heaven A time to be born, a time to die...” By far, the most unique thing about this song is the fact that every word of it, save for the occasional “Turn! Turn! Turn!” is taken straight out of the book of Ecclesiastes chapter three. I love this passage of the Scriptures, mostly because it was written several thousand years ago, it still rings with a truth which is often reiterated even to this day.
We all know that if we want to progress to the next stage in our life, we must spend at least 13 years in school. Yet we also realize that while we are there, especially during the high school years, that time can be divided up. There is a time to study and a time for sports and a time for dating and a time to just go out and have some good, clean fun.
We also know that when we hit the career stage, we can divide that up as well. The first thing we learn is that there is a time at which we must arrive to work, and if we don’t, we’ll be looking for a new place to work. After we figure out that minor little detail, we later realize that there is a time to work late and a time to leave early. A time to keep quiet and a time to tell the boss that you are the best thing to ever happen to the company so that you can get the promotion you have always wanted.
No matter what stage in life we are currently in, or how much time we have left. We need to do two things. First of all, we need to make sure that we have taken the time to know for sure where we are going once this life is over. This is the most important thing we can ever do in our lives!
Second, We should remember what the Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:4… there is “ A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;” Not a single one of us lives long enough to dwell on the past, or the negative parts of the stages yet to come. We should simply realize that all of life has ups and downs and use the time we have to focus on the positive.
David H. Troyer
www.davidhtroyer.com
www.amazon.com/author/davidhtroyer
@DavidHTroyer
