Oct 4th, 2020: Time to Break Down and Time to Build

 For the Church | In Ministry, Joy and Sorrow Don't Cancel Each Other Out



Let us look at the passage in Ecclesiastes 3 one more time today:

"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)

Sometimes we have to take things apart in order to go through a rebuilding process. It happens to us individually and corporately. I believe that it is happening to the US these days. It seems to us, everything Americans have taken for granted, has been unraveled. Let us pray that American people will be prayerful and discerning to go through that with God so we might see a more godly America being put back together by God. Each one us also has to be open to the possibility that God will take things apart in our life to build us up. He does that so we can gain the needed clarity of where we are in life with Him and with one another.

Weeping and laughing are what we do when we react to various events of life. When we do that with discernment, we become more aware of God's presence and comfort in our life. When we weep, we acknowledge that we are impacted painfully by life events. When we laugh, we are aware that there is joy in life, and we should take it in. Sometimes both happen in a short period from each other. A friend informed me about the story of a young man who was killed in a motorcycle accident. I knew his wife's father. He was married in June of this year. So his family and his wife's family celebrated both his wedding and funeral under the Covid-19 protocol. Joy and grief are what they experience in knowing him. 

Embracing life is healthy when life is about who we can be in God and about His business. We need to restraint ourselves from embracing a life that has no truth, no desire to serve others, and no understanding of wrong. I always ask the question of how someone can embrace life after destroying a life. Some people might believe that they reclaim their personal rights by doing that. Is that so? When we dwell in lies and destruction, there is no life within us. So embracing life means refraining ourselves from embracing the deceitful schemes of the evil one. Be aware that they can appear to be very powerful and attractive.


Popular posts from this blog

Sept 4th, 2024: Praying in Images

Image
It has been a rough few days. Living in immense pain does not allow us much energy to think about anything. I ended up praying in images, and not many words came out of my mouth. Most of the images were of people I know. God knew that I was praying for them as their faces came to my mind. I did not need to mention the circumstances or situations of their lives—He knows. My heart was at peace as I ended my days with these images. He will take care of my body, and I know this because I was able to get some sleep. Tomorrow is in His hands.
Read more

Aug 31st, 2024: Confession

Image
Dealing with pain sometimes affects our ability and flexibility. A physiotherapist friend gave me a set of home exercises to help with that. They are simple yet intense at the same time. Dealing with our human brokenness sometimes affects our ability to see and hear God. Our commitment to spiritual disciplines must be at the core of our relationship with God. One of the disciplines I have been trying to embrace more fully is confession. It’s not just about recognizing where we have gone wrong; it’s about how we have chosen to live our lives independently from God. It’s about whether we truly want God to be part of our lives. The absence of meaningful confession will damage our freedom to experience intimacy with God. "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." - Proverbs 28:13
Read more

May 18th, 2020: Why Forgiveness?

Image
  A young man called me last night and he was tormented by his relationship with his mother. It is not because she was a horrible mom. It was unresolved grief that is caused by his dad's suicide a few years ago. Emotionally, he blames parents for his father's death although he knows intellectually that it is not right. I knew the father a bit because his mother and her family came to see me for help when they first arrived in Canada. He was a brilliant physician and who was quite loved by people of a small northern town in Alberta. He was awkward in some ways and very uncomfortable in social conversations. This young man has had many conversations with me ever since the suicide. His father's death has been a major topic of our time together. Most of our conversation yesterday was about forgiveness. We were talking about forgiving people who never ask or haven't got a chance to ask us to forgive them. The question is whether we can forgive without being asked. His father...
Read more