Living Simultaneously
My drive looked a little different as most of the trees have officially shed their autumn foliage and are now barren—just a few days ago, they were full of colorful leaves before nature pruned them back for the winter season. And while looking at the trees, I began to think about Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 8 and how everything has its time.
So, later on, I went to read the passage since it was on my mind. And even though I’ve read it several times, one little word stood out to me that shifted how I look at the times and seasons of my life, and the word was……wait for it:
‘and’
I know. I know. It seems very insignificant, but just read the passage and focus on the word ‘and’ between the times.
Everything Has Its Time
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck 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 cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, 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 of war, And a time of peace.
When it comes to times and seasons, spiritually speaking, it’s an ‘and’ not an ‘or’ in life—meaning we can simultaneously weep and laugh, mourn and dance, gain and lose, keep and throw away. It’s doesn’t have to be one or the other. It’s finding how to live simultaneously in the midst of it all.
For me, I’m continually learning to live in the ‘and,’ and not get hyper-focused on a particular time or season. That it’s OK to start something new and simultaneously let something go. I can mourn where there is pain, yet I can dance where there is victory. There is power in speaking up, and also in silence. I can plant, and if it doesn’t bear fruit, I can pluck it. It’s not living rigidly, but living simultaneously with the one who created me.
So, my question for you is:
What would it look like for you to live in the ‘and’ when reading these verses in Ecclesiastes?