The book of Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite because of the poetry that Solomon composed as well as the poets who were inspired by this Old Testament book. But in this passage is much that we can learn about life especially as it concerns life-changing events.
"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 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."
As the passage suggests, "to everything there is a season." And those seasons apply to our most precious commodity, our young people. Many years ago when I first met Jordan, he was a quiet shy child who I really couldn't quite figure out. Was Jordan just an extremely shy child? Or was he one of those examples of still waters running deep. As I have watched this remarkable young man grow up, I have learned that he is a still water that runs very deep. This is his time to in a sense be "plucked up" in order to be "planted" on the path of his very bright future. It is also "a time to break down" a very close family unit. Jordan will leave the nest and start his path to his own adult life. No, he won't leave the love of his family but he will enter a new phase in life where he will "build up" new relationships, new friendships, and a new way of seeing how precious his family has and will be to him.
Partings like these, even though they are temporary in nature, also are "a time to weep." They are a time of bittersweet tears as we cry for the departure of a loved one but also cry tears of joy for the promise of a bright future. I know that Randal and Rita Moss right now are inwardly shedding tears of sorrow for their firstborn who is about to go out and brave the world. At the same time, they are proud of the fine young man that they have raised, a young man who is a credit to his raising and an example for his peers to pay attention to and follow. But beyond weeping, it is also a time for joy. Indeed, it is a time for laughing. Laughter is warranted because all of us can remember the days as Jordan grew up and can joy in his happiness as he heads off to college. We can laugh in the knowledge that wherever Jordan goes his very quiet, calm nature will stand as a witness to the friends and acquaintances he will make.
This is Jordan's time to reach out and "get" his future and a time for the rest of us "to lose" the presence of a young man that we care for deeply. But most importantly, this is both "a time to love" and "a time to speak." It is a time to love the importance of family, the value of growing up in a family that teaches values, and the early successes of a special young man. And most importantly, it is "a time to speak." My advice to Jordan is very simple and very easy. Always remember who you are and where you came from because you have a firm foundation to build on. Read your bible daily, pray without ceasing, and settle into a church family at Guilford College. Don't fear failing, but fear the inability to admit your failures and learn from them. Remember the importance of this opportunity to get a good education and build your future because it will be as bright and as promising as your willingness to work for it. Finally, remember that you have a church family, and one particular man in that church family, that loves you very much and wishes you all the blessings that God has in store for them. Reach for the stars my young friend!
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