A Time for Everything

By Carol Woolum Roberts

In the third chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon writes the following words. Many of these words were made popular in a song called “Turn! Turn! Turn!”  The song was written by Pete Seeger in 1959.  The song became an international hit in late 1965 when it was adapted by the American folk-rock group The Byrds.

Here is Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3.

3 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Last week in my blog post, I wrote about it being a time to laugh, as Paul and I had a good time giggling about my inability to keep the days straight last week.

This week it was a time to weep and mourn.

This week it was a time to die, at least for three people in my world.

The first death was a young man found in uptown Kellogg on Monday.  He was 27 years old.  I did not know this man, but it is still a rarity to find dead bodies in our community. 

Tuesday, a search went out for a friend, a local pastor named Gene Jacobs, who had not shown up for a meeting at his church.  A search party was assembled, and his body was found in the late afternoon. He was deceased.

Then around 8 p.m. Tuesday evening, I received a message in a group text sent to my pledge class sorority sisters from college.  I learned that the husband of one of my friends had passed away on Monday from a heart attack.  This is the first of my pledge sisters to lose a husband. She is now a widow. That is so strange.

Wednesday was a day of mourning. A day of grieving.  A day of lamentations.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of the young man who I don’t know.

I grieve for the many friends I have that were close to Pastor Gene and part of his congregation, including his wife Christy, who I consider a friend.

I lament for our community who must deal with these tragic losses.

I mourn for my college friend who lost her husband at way too young an age, and their children lost a father.  I remember what it was like to be in my early thirties and lose a father who was too young to go.  It was very hard.

I grieve for our local law enforcement, EMT’s and other first responders who must deal with these tragic losses.

But the verses above say there is a time to weep, but there will also be a time to laugh.

There is a time to mourn, but there will also be a time to dance.

Our lives go through the seasons.  Some of the seasons are very hard.  Some of the seasons are easier. But we make it through each season.

Because God, in all His Wisdom, knew we would make it to the other side.

And, despite all this hard news this week, I couldn’t help but sing this song we sing at church every Sunday.  Because it is also a time to heal.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him all creatures here below.

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  Amen.

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What season is happening in your life right now?

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