By F. D. Adkins
I remember staring down at the little hand just barely big enough to clasp my finger and cradling his tiny head in the crook of my elbow. He would rest there for hours at a time because in my arms was the only place he would sleep. I had no idea that it would be as if I had only taken a single breath before he took his first step and spoke his first word. The memories of sitting on the floor reading his favorite books seem so long ago, but at the same time, the picture is still so vivid in my mind of that little boy in his rain hat as we read Raindrop Plop. And, of course, the words of The Little Engine That Could will forever be imprinted in my brain. Wee-ball games, tee-ball, the first day of school, kindergarten graduation, the first time he pitched in a baseball game, all these moments from his childhood pass through my mind like the flashes of a strobe light. The hands of time never stopped ticking and with every blink, my eyes opened to find him on a new part of his journey. As I sit reminiscing on those big brown eyes that were wide open the very second that he entered this world and that little hand clutching my finger, my soul weeps for the time that has passed while my heart bulges with pride as I see the amazing young man before me. The Raindrop Plop hat still hangs on the corner of his mirror and the wee ball trophy still sits on his shelf, but this week he celebrates his eighteenth birthday and embarks on the trail of being legally considered an adult. I pray that we have given him a firm foundation and taught him in the ways of the Lord. I pray that He clings to God as he continues the race of life because this race is only temporary, and a relationship with God is for eternity.
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As much as I want to keep my son the little boy that I can always be there to protect and take care of, the Bible says there is a time for everything. God planned the exact moment my son was to be born, and He knows every second of my son’s life on this earth. He knows every mountain that my son will climb, and every valley that he will endure. And according to Ecclesiastes 3:1, God has His purpose for every detail.
”To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which 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 cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, 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 of war, and a time of peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV).
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 uses opposites to reflect how every extreme up and down is part of God’s plan. Life is not always ups, nor is it always downs. God has a place for every experience. God knows us before we are even born and has documented all the days of each of our lives.
- “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:13-16 KJV).
So, God knows the exact day we will be conceived, He knows the exact day that we will die, and He knows every move we will make and thought we will have in between. These verses in Ecclesiastes go on and continue to explain how God has designed specific acts to be appropriate or in season at specific times of our lives. A clear example is given in the words “a time to plant” and “a time to pluck that which is planted” (Ecclesiastes 3:2 KJV). We do not plant a garden in the winter, nor do we harvest in early spring. Every crop has an optimal season in which it should be planted and a specific time frame in which it should be harvested.
As I studied these verses from Ecclesiastes 3, I decided to search through the Bible to find what else it says about these seasons, especially those that raise questions such as “a time to kill” and “a time to hate.” Here are some notes on a few of these seasons of life from my study.
- “A time to kill” (Ecclesiastes 3:3)
- Self-defense: “If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him” (Exodus 22:2 KJV).
- Punishment for Murder: “And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death” (Leviticus 24:17 KJV).
- “A time to weep” (Ecclesiastes 3:4)
- “And Peter went out, and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62 KJV). After Peter realized that he had denied Jesus three times, he cried.
- “A time to mourn” (Ecclesiastes 3:4)
- “When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept” (John 11:33-35 KJV). Mary cried as she mourned the loss of her brother. When Jesus saw her pain, he also cried.
(Note: Jesus became troubled when he saw Mary crying. This clearly shows how Jesus feels our emotional pain.)
- “A time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4)
- “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:20-21 KJV). The women were dancing with joy and praise to the Lord because God had protected the children of Israel. God had allowed them to pass safely through the Red Sea on dry ground. When we praise God, there are times to show excitement.
- “A time to speak, and a time to keep silent” (Ecclesiastes 3:7)
- “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19 KJV). We should choose carefully when to allow words to escape our lips. In other words, “think” before we speak.
- “A time to hate” (Ecclesiastes 3:8 KJV)
- “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 97:10 KJV). We are to hate evil acts.
- “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate” (Proverbs 8:13 KJV). (Note: There is no gray area; no middle ground. “He that is not with me is against me…” (Matthew 12:30 KJV).) Even though the Bible tells us to love our neighbor, If we love the Lord, we are to hate acts of evil.
- “The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth” (Psalm 11:5 KJV). God hates sin and evil.
- “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:16-19 KJV).
- “A time for war” (Ecclesiastes 3:8 )
- “Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight” (Psalm 144:1 KJV). God gives us strength and trains us to fight the enemy.
- “He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one” (Luke 22:36 KJV). We are to be armed for battle.
- “A time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:8)
- “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18 KJV). There is a time for war, but only if peace is not possible.
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In the end, all of these seasons we pass through in this life, the good and the bad, God uses to mold us into His perfect masterpiece. “He hath made every thing beautiful in His time…” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV).
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I have experienced the season of my son’s childhood. I have had the season to plant the seeds and teach him right from wrong. I have had the season to help him get armed for battle. Now, I pray he keeps each piece of his armor in place and stands firm in his faith.
- “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV).
- “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11 KJV).
I weep at the end of one season but smile with pride as a new one begins.
- “The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice” (Proverbs 23:24-25 KJV).
I want my son to know that we are glad, and we are rejoicing as we see the man he has become.
“…Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:9 KJV
Happy Birthday!
