For everything there is a season

Ecclesiastes 3:1-12

For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart.

Do you get what he said here? That God made EVERYTHING beautiful in its time. Solomon wrote these words, inspired by God, a list of good things and bad things. He says there is a time be born, but also there is a time to die; a time to laugh, but also a time to cry; a time for peace, but also a time for war; a time to love and a time to hate. According to God's word, there is a time in each of our lives for the hard things, the things we think are bad. God even says that He will make all of these things beautiful; beautiful in its own time. When God says it is time to tear down or to grieve, He makes that a beautiful thing. Isn't that a comforting thought? We come to the realization that we will have times in our lives that are hard, and maybe we can accept that, but God says, No, it's more than that. You don't have to just get through the hard times, I will make them beautiful.

How does He make the bad things beautiful? "He has planted eternity in the human heart". God created man with something for eternity in his heart. We hunger for the eternal. We have all heard it said that we have a "God shaped hole" in us. It is true. All people have this. Those of us who have become followers of Jesus have the hole filled. We have someone eternal in our hearts, but there still is a hunger, a hunger for more of the eternal. That is why ALL things can be beautiful. God is with us, walking with us through the times of grieving, of crying, of pain, of war, the times of tearing down scattering. Those times are precious because we learn to lean on Him and draw closer to Him. Those are truly beautiful times.