Sunday, February 20, 2011

Every Season Under the Sun

Grandma Lawrence a few years ago at her 90th birthday party.
I know that I don't usually blog on Sundays so I am not expecting a bunch of readers for this one. Not that this week would necessarily be a normal schedule anyway because of the holiday. But I thought I would blog today.

Right now I am sitting in my Grandmother's hospital room. I have been here since 7:00pm yesterday. Slowly and helplessly I have been holding her hand and watching her slip away. You never feel quite so powerless and useless as when you are watching a loved one suffer. There is nothing I can do and I wonder why I am here. I posted something to this effect in my Facebook status this morning. That's when Lisa reminded me that I am here for a reason. Whether that reason is for my own closure because I haven't seen my Grandmother in 2-3 years or maybe I am here to bring comfort to my mom. Who knows? Only God.

However, as I pondered this and many other questions I thought about Ecclesiastes chapter 3. I am not going to comment on these verses today. I will let them speak for themselves. They are powerful and can speak much clearer than a brain that went to be at 4:30am and got up at 7am. So here they are, Ecclesiastes 3:1-9:

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
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 do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
 Please pray for my family--especially my mom--as they go through this though time. Thank you and God bless.
The Problem of PainA Grief ObservedC.S. Lewis's the Problem of Pain/a Grief Observed

2 comments:

  1. hey christiana its liz. this passage got me through when my grandma died i just thought you would want to know

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  2. thanks, Liz. I really appreciate you sharing that with me. Also thanks for commenting on my blog. Haven't had a comment in a while. SO it's doubly nice.

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