June 8 - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Turn, turn, turn.

 

One of the classic songs of the sixties is based on Ecclesiastes 3. The Byrds' sang, "Turn, Turn, Turn," reflecting on "a time for every purpose under heaven." For those of us who know this song and/or scripture, we almost forget what it means.

 

Therefore, for today's reading, I've included the wisdom of Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of this passage in The Message. Let these familiar words wash over you in an unfamiliar way and ask, "What is God saying to me through this today?"

There's an opportune time to do things,

A right time for everything on the earth:

A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

A right time to kill and another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

A right time to make love and another to abstain,

A right time to embrace and another to part,

A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

         Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's enjoying this right time