A Time for Everything

I've started writing again, something I don't do as often as I used to. I'm reading the Bible and writing about grief and mourning and how God is going to turn it all into joy. I'm reading in Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, Sirach, Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, & Revelation (so far-- but I'm sure I'll read more books). I read in both my NAB (Catholic) and NIV Bibles, concentrating on my NAB since it has the extra books that the Protestant Bible doesn't have and it also has way more explanations, references, & commentaries, too.

Out of all that I have read so far about Jesus wiping our tears away, and turning our grief & mourning into joy, etc., the most moving verse I have read so far is Eccl. 3:15. Chapter 3 is titled in the NAB "Man Cannot Hit Upon the Right Time To Act", but the NIV titles is as "A Time for Everything". After the very poetic verses 1-8, I read 9-15.

3:4 "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance."
3:11 "He has made everything appropriate in its time..."
3:15 "...and God restores what would otherwise be displaced." The Hebrew word for restore is "shuwb" which means to return, to refresh and repair.

How awesome is that? God is going to return, refresh & repair what otherwise would be displaced, moved or lost; And I truly believe that it includes my mourning heart. And since He made EVERYTHING appropriate in its time, then God has sovereignty over my heart. Instead of trying to fix it myself, like in mourning and trying to "get over it", then God will, in His time, repair (heal) my heart. After my heart's time to weep is over, it will laugh. After my heart's time to mourn, it will dance.

How beautiful is that? We give God sovereignty over our hearts, and He is telling us right there that we will laugh & dance again in His time. It's so comforting that I don't have to think "How long will I mourn my brother? How much longer am I going to be sad?"...because its all in God's time. I don't need to worry about making myself feel better; God is already at work with that. He has control over my heart and knows WHEN I will be laughing and dancing again, not IF. It's so freeing.

Every preacher or priest will tell you that God is in control; but when you read & discover for yourself that God is control of your heart and your grief and HE will repair your heart and you WILL laugh and dance again, it just takes a load off your back.

And then Matt. 11:28 "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." That section (vs. 28-30) is called 'The Gentle Mastery of Christ' in my NAB Bible. My gentle Master is offering me the rest that my mourning heart needs if I just come to Him; I don't need to ask for it, I just need to go to Him.

And then, in God's time, my heart won't need to rest, it will be able to laugh and dance.
And as the resurrected Jesus said when he greeted his disciples as they mourned his death: "Peace be with you."

Jesus is offering me in my time of mourning and sadness: peace, rest, His sovereignty and mastery, and in His time, laughing and dancing. What else could I ask for?