Oct 2nd, 2020: Time to Be Born and Time to Die

 Hypnogoria: FOLKLORE ON FRIDAY - Autumn Leaves

It was a beautiful fall day yesterday. I never get tired of the beauty of different colors as the leaves are changing at this time of the year. It is radiant and mysterious at the same time. We all know that it won't last long in Canada. It signifies the change of seasons. We only need to get ready for the winter that will come soon enough.

Our relationship with God also has its different seasons. As the writer of Ecclesiastes eloquently put it:

"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 cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing." (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-15)

When we were born, we were like a plant that sprung into life. Sometimes we forget to give thanks for the fact that we were born. Millions of babies around the world never have that chance yearly. That is a sorrowful pity. We have lost the opportunities to witness so much beauty and gifting.

The plants in our garden are slowly withering away as the winter is coming. Our physical life will come to an end, and we have no chance to escape that ugly reality. I have learned to accept that fact with the conviction that the eternal aspect of life will rest on how I acknowledge and live for the author of life. Death is no longer the end. It is not the final say, but the transition between temporary suffering of this world to eternal peace in the household of God.

We will reap what we plant, and we don't choose the consequences of our actions. We make choices and live with their outcomes. One of the most important fruits that come from godliness is repentance. It is to walk away from our preoccupation with the self and walk toward having the focus on God. It is about discovering a new life that has been hidden by our brokenness. The one that was intended by God. The journey from brokenness to wholeness is the process of being one with God more and more daily.

I will share the rest of my thoughts about Ecclesiastes 3: 1-5 tomorrow.

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