200 – To everything….. November 18, 2014

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

 

# 200                                                                        November 18, 2104

 

“To everything…”

 

Some snippets of wisdom stay with us for a lifetime. Oh, perhaps we do not take an inventory of sage information on a daily basis, but every once in a while a situation simply fits. Aptly applied, that old wisdom comes once again to the fore and comports to the current situation as deftly as a well-fitting glove.

 

So, then, this is the perfect time to revisit one pearl of wisdom that most of us recognize from its first words. We do not need to hear the whole sentence. We know it in its entirety.

 

This one, of course, comes from the book that boasts the most copies across the globe in every language imaginable. Yes, the Bible.

 

Ecclesiastes 3. 1-8

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.

 

 

Often, we think of “season” as only pertaining to some sort of celebration. The next for us is, of course, Thanksgiving. People will pause across this nation in their homes, in workplace dining areas, and in health care facilities to reflect on their blessings and express thanks to the Almighty.

 

Yes, God comes first — really! You wouldn’t know it from surveying our schools or our public squares. You wouldn’t know it when viewing empty foundations where the Ten Commandment monuments once stood.

 

Somehow, there are among us those who have become so jaded and self-centered that they view faith in God as some sort of an affliction, a shortcoming. It baffles me how anyone could look at the perfection of a newborn, the delicate wings of the tiniest insect, the leaves of a tree, the complexities of nature and her wonders, and the expanse of the cosmos to merely claim that it all came about from interstellar dust and gases.

 

Our next two seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas should serve a higher purpose than culinary overindulgence and gift giving. Both days should command a higher regard for religious freedom, respect for the intelligence of the Founding Fathers, and a subtle warning that all is not well in our society today.

 

This planet and cooled and warmed on a cyclical basis since time immemorial. Had it not, the Great Lakes would not exist. Mountains higher than the Rockies would arch over Michigan and Wisconsin. Moreover, we would lack 20% of the fresh water on the planet.

 

Oh, there is a warming afoot, but it is not climatic. It is moral. As we slide into a chasm of immorality in which marriage is degraded and disregarded, sex is casual with no sense of commitment and love, and where personal pleasure overrides any sense of dignity or ethics, we are warming to Satan.

 

He must be wringing his hands with joy at the prospect of gaining so many followers — and for so many reasons. Add to the above the current state of foreign affairs where ISIS and Muslim fanatics worldwide boldly state, “Convert or die,” and you see evil at work.

 

Be thankful that you live in a country where, at least to this point, churches are allowed to open their doors and clergy is free to preach without censorship. I just wonder how long that is going to last when we see elected officials targeting church leaders indiscriminately. That kind of intimidation is unworthy of any elected official. The mayor of Houston learned that lesson firsthand barely a few weeks ago.

 

As we approach these two loving holidays, remember that some among us are without family and must go through these wonderful days alone. If you can, invite someone without family to join yours. Seek out children who need a good role model. Far too many children grow up without two parents these days and a kind word or guidance means so much to them.

 

As we read through the Bible passage, we see that it ends speaking of war and peace. Just as the planet continues in a pattern, so does man. Man wages war. Bullies and tyrants are overthrown. Peace is won. For a time, all is well, and then the cycle begins once again.

 

There is a season for us. It is the season to reassert our faith to those with whom we come in contact. Oh, we don’t need to walk into a room with a Bible in hand, but we need to walk into any room with faith on display.

 

I grew up watching my father live a tenet he held dear. In few words, he expressed it to me. “If you don’t care and you can’t share, you’re nowhere.”

 

Remember that during the upcoming holidays. Care for someone else. Share with someone else. It doesn’t have to be monetary or a gift, it can be time. That can be the greatest gift of all.   Don’t find yourself nowhere.

 

Be somewhere. Be with God. Care. Share His love. Life your faith.

 

Think about it.

 

 

 

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