Reading 54 | The Bible in 100 Passages

Thursday, November 6, 2025  

Today's Scripture
Ecclesiastes 3:1–8

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 throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, 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 for war, and a time for peace. (NRSV)

Reflection

This familiar passage captures the divine rhythm of life. Its series of contrasts — birth and death, weeping and laughing, planting and harvesting — remind us that life isn’t static. Instead, life delivers dynamic seasons of specific purpose: of distinct abundance or great loss. 

Many of my seasons have come and gone. As I approach life’s twilight, Solomon’s recitation of these profound disparities assumes a deeper meaning. Births and deaths are more consequential. So are times to plant or uproot, search or surrender, speak or stay silent. And, increasingly in our contradictory world, it’s a time for conflict and conciliation that can be difficult to grasp. 

In each of our personal journeys, trials erupt that seem insurmountable. The crushing loss of premature twins decades ago still visits me. Yet, God provides “a time to heal” that sparks a time to rebuild with strength gained through heartache. I trust in God’s timing even when I may not understand it. Consider it Solomon’s profound and timeless wisdom. And if these verses sound oddly well known, Pete Seeger’s song “Turn, Turn, Turn” that The Byrds made their own here may be the reason.  

Prayer

O Lord, thank you for life’s cycles. Help us embrace these shifting seasons with thanksgiving, trusting in your divine rhythm and the knowledge that a time exists for everything under heaven. Amen.

Written by Tim Schellhardt, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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