In our home we have many clocks.  Their tick-tocks and chimes are an ever-present sign of the passage of time.   I think there’s a tick-tock to be heard in each room.  We’ve become accustomed to the sounds of our clocks, and we often don’t hear them at all.  But in quiet times, they are a constant comfort.

I experience time in such different ways.  Minutes waiting for a doctor to appear can take an eternity.  Minutes that pass when I’m a little late and frantically trying to get ready, they just fly by in a nanosecond.  The minutes of a lonely day can move at a snail’s pace.  And yet in these golden ages of life, the years seem to fly by. 

The dictionary defines time so simply.  “The measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues.” 

Ecclesiastes tells us more about time and the various life experiences that will occupy a “time” in our lives.  The passage can be a reality check; not all of these times will be pleasant or welcome.  And yet, there will be times of joy and accomplishment as well.  In these turbulent times in our nation, perhaps the writer of Ecclesiastes has a message of encouragement for us.

¹ To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: ² A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; ³ A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; ⁴ A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; ⁵ A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; ⁶ A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; ⁷ A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; ⁸ A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Whatever “time” you are experiencing as you read this, may the God of unconditional love bless you and keep you.

Judy