By Katy Mariotti

All the Time

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“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 cast 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 cast 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.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, English Standard Version

When I was growing up, my mom sewed me the most beautiful Halloween costumes. I was Snow White, Minnie Mouse, and one year I was a princess on a horse, complete with a hand-sewn horse that I wore around my waist. The costumes were amazing, and I used them for years as dress-up clothes. When I became a mom myself, I decided that I wanted to sew my children’s Halloween costumes, despite having zero sewing experience. So I bought a sewing machine, and off I went.

I enjoy sewing. It’s fun to follow the directions and have a fully-formed finished product in front of you. But it can be REALLY frustrating. The instructions are not always clear, or they assume that you have sewing experience and already know the vocabulary. I confess that I used some choice language the first time I ever attempted a zipper. The worst is when I make a mistake and have to undo something I’ve done. The tool I’m holding in the picture today is called a seam ripper. In this particular instance, some extra fabric got caught in a seam and I have to rip out the threads and redo the seam. It’s very time-consuming!

The “time for everything” Bible verses have long been some of my favorites, and I happen to come across them in appropriate times in my life. I read them during Covid lockdown and marveled at the “time to refrain from embracing” verse. When I was looking up these verses today, I was actually looking them up for something entirely different and laughed when I saw the time to tear and time to sew verse! How appropriate!!

Many of the things listed are not pleasant and some downright difficult. Those times of tearing, weeping, mourning, war, dying… they’re really hard. We wish the times could always be for sewing, laughing, dancing, and peace. But the Good News is that through all the times in our life, good and bad, we have a God who loves us and sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us. Jesus has conquered death so that we can live eternally with Him in laughter and joy forever! Let us remember to rejoice in all the times of our life!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado