A Time for Everything

My favorite Bible passage, the passage that gets me through each day, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15:

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heavenC
² A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
³ A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear 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 throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
⁶ A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
⁷ A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
⁸ A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.
⁹ What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? ¹⁰ I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.¹¹ He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.¹² I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; ¹³ moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor, it is the gift of God. ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. 15 That which is has been already, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.

Ever since middle school, this has been the one passage that I revert to anytime there have been bumps in the road, big or little. It's really brought peace to my mind that God is always in control, that He exalts and humbles me. Though it is often hard to see that and trust him in hard times, that little bit of faith that keeps me hanging on is the faith that becomes so rewarding at the end of the day. We must see that things change. Our lives change with the seasons, but our God never changes. His love will always be everlasting, and He will always be there, even when we turn from him, and this is why I am so thankful for Him and for my life.

So, that being said, God has a plan for you. He has a plan for me. We need to stop worrying about the little things in our lives, and start enjoying the experiences he has planned for us now. Things may be rough, but He has a reason for those experiences for us. Just like the rainstorms that bring sunshine and life, we need patience to wait out the storm, and see His great plan for us.