Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat

  • About
  • Blog
    • Scripture Reflection
    • Prayer & Lectio Divina
    • Bible Reading & Study
    • Holidays and Holy Days
    • Discipleship
    • Women of the Bible
  • Resources
    • New Release
    • Books & Journals
    • Bible Studies
    • How-tos & Reading Plans
  • Speaking
    • Speaking Topics
    • Schedule
    • Testimonials
    • Reviews & Interviews
    • Past Events
  • Contact

LETTING GO: Embracing New Seasons

November 10, 2018 By Sarah Christmyer 4 Comments

It took a day and a half to paint the room, what with sanding and spackling and taping and waiting for each coat to dry. After 15 years you could say it’s about time for a fresh look! But it was hard to do. As I rolled primer over the midnight blue and the bright red-and-yellow lightning flashes I’d designed for a little boy who loved superheroes, I felt like I was burying something precious. That boy is grown and has his own son, now. Where did time go?

Photo by Sarah Christmyer

 

I’ve never spent much time reading Ecclesiastes, but the Byrds began to sing chapter 3 in my head as I painted:

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven [1]

Hokey, I thought; and Why am I feeling this way, anyway? I’m not normally one to get overly sentimental. Why is it so hard to let go?

Pete Seeger turned Ecclesiastes 3 into a plea for peace, but the original author seems to have no problem settling into the bad times as well as the good. According to him, there’s a time to die, to break down, to weep and mourn and even hate, as much as there’s a time to heal and laugh and dance. He goes on to say that God “has made everything beautiful in its time” (Vs. 11).

I had to read that a few times. Not “he will make everything beautiful in time,” as though we must wait for things to be made well (although certainly in an ultimate sense, that also is true). Rather, it says that God “has made everything beautiful in its time.” In other words, the way God made things, there’s a beauty about them being done at the appropriate time. There’s a time and season for everything. Planting is beautiful in April but foolish in December. Laughter is a wonderful thing unless you’re at a funeral, when there’s a solemn beauty to mourning instead. Even death can be beautiful when it comes “in its time.” You get the idea: context (season) matters.

Which takes me back to the ache I felt while painting that room. I realized there’s a proper time to enjoy and remember past things: our children at a certain age; a great job we used to have; a lost love; life before [cancer, drugs — you name it]. But there’s also a time to cast those things away (see vs. 6). It’s okay for me to paint the walls. Seasons pass. The time comes to move on and embrace the next one.

I always liked the term “empty nest” because of the hope it holds. What is a nest for, but to cradle new life? Time to get the old one cleaned out and ready for what’s to come.

Empty bird’s nest by the Sea of Galilee. Photo by Sarah Christmyer.

 

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19).

_____________________

[1]  Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) was written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s and later became a hit when it was recorded by the Byrds. Except for the title and last two lines, all the lyrics are taken from Ecclesiastes (which was written somewhere between the 10th and 3rd centuries BC).

_____________________

© 2018 Sarah Christmyer

 

Learn to pray with the psalms - Bible reading Journals from Sarah Christmyer, available on Amazon

 

Filed Under: Scripture Reflection

Comments

  1. Mark and Andrea Duguay says

    November 10, 2018 at 5:34 pm

    Thank you for this beautiful reflection. You have a beautiful insight. God bless you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas.

  2. Sarah Christmyer says

    November 11, 2018 at 9:32 am

    Thank you, and blessings on you as well!

  3. Arlita M Winston says

    November 11, 2018 at 1:33 pm

    Thank you for this precious reminder, Sarah. Love, Mom

  4. Sally says

    December 11, 2018 at 1:49 pm

    Dear Sarah,
    This reflection really touched my heart ❤️
    Thank you!
    Sally?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 characters available

Sarah Christmyer writes and speaks about Scripture and the Catholic faith with the goal of helping people meet Jesus in his Word. “The Bible isn’t just a book about God or instructions for a good life; it’s a place to meet God and be changed by him,” she says. Her love of Scripture fuels her writing of Bible studies and related books; her teaching of Philadelphia seminarians; her speaking at conferences and retreats; and writing for blogs such as this one. “Come Into the Word” draws people into the Bible and encourages and equips them to explore it on their own.

Subscribe Here

Sign up to receive new posts and news via email. (Add sarah@comeintotheword.com to your address book to make sure mail arrives in your inbox!)

Search Come Into The Word

Categories

Recent Posts

  • PSALMS FOR LENT: Find GRACE in the Penitential Psalms
  • ADD SCRIPTURE TO YOUR LENTEN DIET
  • TRUST IN GOD; HE’S GOT YOUR BACK
  • FINDING JOY AT CHRISTMAS
  • FOCUSING ON THE CHRIST CHILD with the O Antiphons
  • THANKSGIVING PSALMS: Drowning grief in gratitude

Archives

Recommended

  • Integrated Catholic Life – Catholic blogs and resources
  • Lux App and Lux University – online faith hub for women
  • Peter Kreeft – featured writings and audio
  • The Sacred Page (Michael Barber, John Bergsma, Brant Pitre, John Kincaid) – blog
  • Scripture Speaks (Gayle Somers) – commentary on the Mass readings
  • Speaking of Scripture (Mary Healy, Daniel Keating, Peter Williamson, et al) – blog
  • Women in the New Evangelization (WINE) – women’s ministry, book club, blog

 

We engage in affiliate marketing whereby we receive funds through clicks to our affiliate program through this website. This disclosure is intended to comply with the US Federal Trade Commission Rules on marketing and advertising, as well as any other legal requirements which may apply.

 

Let’s Connect

mailfacebook instagram pinterest

Subscribe Here

Sign up to receive new posts and news via email. (Add sarah@comeintotheword.com to your address book to make sure mail arrives in your inbox!)

MENU

  • About
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Speaking
  • Contact
  • Home

Copyright © 2023 Come into the Word LLC | Site designed by Cynthia Oswald

  • About
  • Blog
    △
    • Scripture Reflection
    • Prayer & Lectio Divina
    • Bible Reading & Study
    • Holidays and Holy Days
    • Discipleship
    • Women of the Bible
  • Resources
    △
    • New Release
    • Books & Journals
    • Bible Studies
    • How-tos & Reading Plans
  • Speaking
    △
    • Speaking Topics
    • Schedule
    • Testimonials
    • Reviews & Interviews
    • Past Events
  • Contact