There’s a time for everything

RELAX! Don’t take life’s problems too seriously. They will

have their time, but surely they will not have all the time. There’s a

time for everything. Things in this life come and go. The only

permanent thing and the only thing that can avoid the limits of time

and space and that can assume eternal value is when love is lived.

             This is what I usually tell people when they come to me

confiding their difficulties and disappointments in life. These

problems can be in the area of marriage and family, politics,

business, etc. “Chill, man!” is        r present political leaders, they will

not be there forever,” or words to that effect.

                                                 

             The Book of Ecclesiastes already warned us about this.

“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for

every event under heaven—a time to be born and a time to die, a time

to plant and a time to uproot what is planted, a time to kill and a

time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up…” (3,1-3)

  

            God, our creator and father and the source and essence of

all that is good, true and beautiful, is always around with his wise

and merciful providence. He and his will will prevail, no matter how

we mess up with him.

  

            This, of course, does not mean that we do nothing, or that

we assume a passive way of life. Not at all! Let’s remember that God

wants us always to fruitful and productive. What we have received from

him, we also have to give back with some ‘profit’ to boot. That is how

God’s love is repaid with our love for him.

  

            And so, what we have to do is simply to focus on our

duties and responsibilities, following closely God’s commandments that

in the end are summarized in loving him with all our might and

strength and loving our neighbor as Christ himself has loved us. This

is really what matters in our life. All the rest are mere seasonings

and flavorings.

  

            That love will show us how to deal with our difficulties,

problems, failures and sins in this life. And that is simply to be

patient and to suffer the way Christ suffered, following the will of

his Father for the salvation of all mankind. Our suffering will then

assume a redemptive value for our sins and sins of everyone else.

  

            That is why we need to assume a sporting spirit in this

life. We should not worry too much about anything. We should just go

to God asking for his mercy, his light and strength, and everything

would just be fine no matter how we fare and end in this life.

  

            The only thing that matters is that we manage to love the

way God loves us as shown to us by Christ and is made possible now

through the action of the Holy Spirit. Let’s not waste time lamenting

and complaining about certain difficulties and problems we encounter

in this life.