There is a time for everything and everything has its time…
Recently, while thinking about all things which occur in our lives, I realized many are considered “good” or “bad,” “right” or “wrong.” As I analyzed the meanings of each, I readily understood there is neither good nor bad; right nor wrong. Instead, there are so many different shades of grey.
Depending on the circumstances “good” can be “bad,” and “bad” can be “good.” At other times “right” can be “wrong” and “wrong” can be “right.”
Frequently we say, “Why do I have to go through this difficult time?” Nevertheless, there is a time for everything and everything has its time. Based on this idea, I began a word play and the following phrases flowed through my fingers.
A time to work,
a time to play…
A time to challenge,
a time to accept…
A time to celebrate,
a time to congratulate…
A time to trust,
a time to doubt…
A time to be alone,
a time to be social…
A time to move,
a time to stay…
A time to laugh,
a time to cry…
A time for yin,
a time for yang…
A time to be,
a time not to be…
A time to talk,
a time to listen…
A time to fly,
a time to crawl…
A time to create,
a time to destroy…
A time to eat,
a time to digest…
A time to invigorate,
a time to calm…
A time for me,
a time for you…
A time to teach,
a time to learn…
A time to give,
a time to take…
A time to go,
a time to stop…
A time to simplify,
a time to complicate…
A time to dream,
a time to act…
A time to project,
a time to reflect…
A time to win,
a time to lose…
A time to succeed,
a time to fail…
A time to write,
a time to read…
A time to nurture,
a time to be nurtured…
A time to be bold,
a time to be meek…
A time to plant,
a time to harvest…
A time to flow,
a time to change…
A time to live,
a time to die…
A time to Rock,
a time to Roll…
I shared part of this idea on my blog and a friend told me, “Rob, this is just like what it says in The Bible!”
“A time to live, a time to die…” seemed to ring a bell and quick search on the internet led me to Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time for peace…
What I had expressed, was in fact, a twist on thoughts I had previously heard and which were eloquently written thousands of years ago in The Bible. The words jumped out at me! I reached for the nearest bible and read the entire chapter of Ecclesiastes. The following words burned in my brain and danced before my eyes. Ecclesiastes 1: 9–10
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which one can say, “Look this is something new!” It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. As I read, I was faced with a truth so old, so tested and so evident. Knowledge is universal. The knowledge which comes from others and from me is simply the knowledge of the universe which flows through us.
What, you may ask, is the relevance of all of this and why should it matter?
As I wrote the lines for “Time for Everything,” I realized the same train of thought could go on forever. We can take any emotion, thought or event and by phrasing it together with its opposite, we find there is, in fact, a time for everything.
The next time you wonder why you are going through a difficult time; remember this is the time for that particular thought, emotion or event. More importantly, it is happening at precisely the right time. The question we should ask is: “What can I learn from this situation?” rather than “Why do I have to go through this situation?” Be it “good” or “bad,” “right” or “wrong,” there is a time for everything and everything has its time.
∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL II 22