This past weekend we had a big life event in our family, as we had a wedding for one of our daughters. It was a great celebration. We have experienced a number of important events and life transitions in recent years with graduations, new careers, and now a wedding among our adult children. The events themselves are joyful occasions, and we want to celebrate them well and enjoy the time. Admittedly, there is also a bittersweet element to major occasions because they mark the passage of time and the changing of eras.

Ecclesiastes 3 says in part:

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.

Early on, as we began raising our children, we committed that we would enjoy the season our family is in, regardless of what or when it is. We committed not to worry about time lost but enjoy the moment. For the most part, this is one area where it has helped us grow as a family in gratitude for God’s goodness to us and in enjoying the moment at hand.

There is a time to be born, to plant, to heal, to build, to laugh, to dance, to gather stones, to embrace, to search, to keep, to mend, to speak, to love, and for peace. Of course, for all of these, there is a counterpart. My advice is to be thankful for the past, enjoy the present, and be hopeful for the future!