1 There is an occasion for everything,
and a time for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to give birth 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 throw stones and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;
6 a time to search and a time to count as lost;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear and a time to sew;
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.
God made four seasons of weather as the Earth revolves around the sun. In those seasons, like in life, there are times for different things. In some seasons we plant, in others we harvest.
Life has seasons as well. Times when we celebrate the birth of a new life and times when we mourn when that life comes to an end. There are times to cry and times to laugh. There is a time for everything in our lives.
We are wise when we know when it is the appropriate time to do something. There was a time when I did something at the wrong time. I laughed during the movie Titanic as the boat was sinking. Knowing that it was a movie and not being able to “buy into” the story-line, I did not connect to the people in the movie as they met their fate. None the less, it was still not the time to be laughing.
There may be times when we ask God for something and it may seem like a while before we hear, or see, and answer. Those times of waiting can be difficult because we want things now, you know “on demand”, an immediate response when we say something – voice activated, etc. We need to trust God’s timing and rely on Him. We may be learning to be patient, which is part of the Fruit of the Spirit.
Think about the season of life you are in now and how you can serve God in this season, this time, of life.
Discussion Questions:
- Have you ever done something at the wrong time? What was it? (parents make sure it is appropriate to share with children)
- Sometimes we cannot control when certain times happen, like when someone dies, war, etc. What can we do during those times? Trust God and His timing
- Have you ever prayed for something and had to wait for God to answer? What was it and how did God answer it, or are you still waiting?
End in prayer thanking God for the different seasons of life, asking Him to help you through the different seasons of life, both good and bad.
