A time and a season for everything

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Have you ever heard the song Turn! Turn! Turn! by the Byrds? It was a pretty popular song and was number one on the billboards in 1965 and also featured in the movie "Forrest Gump." The lyrics are very similar and almost word for word from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 in the Bible, except for the title of the song.

Here are the words from Ecclesiastes.

“a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

“a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend,

“a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

The words are about how there is a season for everything in life. Our lives begin when we are born and they end when we die, but the in-between is what matters. It’s how we live our life. What I have found is no matter how much joy or sorrow we go through that, too, is a season. It usually doesn’t last forever, which is good when we encounter things that bring us sadness.

I know for some, the holidays can be hard. Maybe your kids are gone, you got divorced or someone close to you died. These words can give hope that it’s only a moment in time.

We really have to remember time is constantly changing. You can’t stop time. We are only given so much time and we should use our time wisely. As we start a new year, really think about the season you are in and how to live it to the fullest. I found this past year I was trying to do so many things, but wasn’t doing them all to the best of my ability. I had to make some big decisions on what to cut back on. Some of the things I decided to cut back on are things I have done for years and love doing, but as I am reminded in these words, there is a time for everything.

What matters most to you? What season are you in? Are you with a newborn at home? Do you have a toddler? Do you have a teen? Are your kids grown? Maybe you have grandkids? For me, I am in the middle stages of life and my two girls are now teens. People who have kids older than mine have told me your kids will grow up fast and they are right. It seems like just the other day they were born. When they were younger, I would always tease them and tell them to stop growing up. You can’t stop time, you can’t even slow down time. We have to live in the season. Being a mom is a season of life. It’s one of the best jobs I could ever have, definitely one of the most challenging, but also one of the most rewarding.

As I write this, one of the things in life I will be cutting back on are my articles. I have been writing this column for more than eight years and now is the season to step back. To all my readers I thank you for allowing me to share my personal life with you over the years. There is a time and a season for everything.