PRIORITIZING MY FATHER’S HOUSE: THERE IS A TIME FOR WEEPING & HEALING (Tuesday)

Jul 5, 2022
2 min read

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 3-5a

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them

There is a season for every activity under the heavens. Just like we experience the four seasons physically, we are guaranteed to experience these seasons spiritually as well. There is a time to kill sinful habits. I notice when I decide I’ve had enough of a sinful habit, God exterminates it in my heart.

Getting rid of something to which I’ve clung for so long will hurt. I will probably go through withdrawal symptoms of anger and anxiety as I grieve the loss of that part of me. But tearing down strongholds of sin is part of God’s plan. I shouldn’t be surprised if I weep and mourn as a result of this loss.

Just like scattering the ashes of a loved one, I want to scatter the stones of the strongholds of sin that God just tore down. It’s time for a new day and a new year with new hopes and dreams.

THINK ABOUT THSEE THINGS: In the midst of my trials, I am not able to see clearly what God is doing. I imagine the disruption of getting rid of sin as an attack on my heart, when it’s actually pain from the “Divine Brillo Pad” God must use because the stain of sin is ground into my heart.

Looking back, I can still see the scars sin produced. These aren’t scars God caused but my reminders of where God has brought me from. God seeks to build His desires for me in my heart.

When I start to hope and dream of what God is about to do in my life, I have to laugh. I’ve spent my whole life trying to build my hopes and dreams, and where has that gotten me? When God begins to show me a glimpse of His future in me, I want to dance!

What happened to all those stones of sin I’ve scattered? They are protected from returning to me by a new stronghold: God gathered His stones together and built a new fortress in my heart, which allows me to guard against bad habits, bad relationships, and anything else that tries to take over my heart.

Lord, thank You for continuing to protect me. I want to celebrate the work You have done in my life. You brought me through a time to heal in my heart as You gathered stones, rebuilt my hopes, and allowed me to laugh and dance. May You be praised!

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman