It’s Fall – Let Go!

Today as I look out my window on this breezy fall day, I am feeling very connected to the beauty of creation.  I live in a beautiful location.  My house is surrounded by trees and at this time of year, the leaves are all different shades of red, orange, green and yellow.  When the sunlight hits them, which does happen occasionally in Western PA, they just glow with brilliance.  The leaves on the trees are stunning.  And, then, something magical happens when the wind blows.  The leaves come soaring to the ground.  Some of them spin in little circles with the stem down and seem to just dive to the earth.  Others actually tumble end over end until they slowly float to the earth.  Some start falling one direction and then the wind picks them up and carries them a different direction and then sometimes just before they hit the ground, it lifts them once again for a little glide across the yard.  All these leaves are on different journeys, and they travel at different speeds and in different ways.  They really remind me of life and its journey.  Though all the leaves can represent that journey, I realized today that I identified with a particular one. A medium sized yellow maple leaf halfway up a tree that is smaller than its Oak neighbor.  This little leaf on this smaller tree refuses to let go.  As I’ve watched hundreds, possibly thousands of leaves make their journey from limb to lawn, this stubborn Maple leaf clings on by a thread.  The wind is whipping it in every direction, and I marvel at its strength to hold on.  It reminds me of a child’s wiggly loose tooth that refuses to give up and fall out.  This leaf is hanging on.  For what?  Eventually, we all know it will let go and join the rest of the leaves in the yard, but until it does, it is taking a royal beating in an attempt to hang on.

I am like that Maple leaf many times.  I hang on to things way longer than I should.  I honestly know that if I would just let go, I would softly, beautifully float to new and better things, but I refuse and I hang on to what I know.  I stay in the place I have been for a long time.  I refuse to let go and declare a new season.  Just as I shake my head and wonder about that leaf and its motives, I shake my head and wonder about myself. As I have spent some time this afternoon thinking, dreaming and watching the fall leaves tumble, I think I am excited for the day I do let go. The day I do drift peacefully into the next exciting season. I mean, what are my options? I certainly don’t want to be that lone brown leaf that we’ve all seen during winter hanging on to the tree being pelted by snow and sleet. No.  That is not how I am going to go into the next season, and I hope you don’t either. Let Go!

18 But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I’m going to do! 19 For I’m going to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Don’t you see it? I will make a road through the wilderness of the world for my people to go home and create rivers for them in the desert! – Isaiah 43:18 & 19 The Living Bible

Hopefully Hopeful

Credit goes to Rick Warren who presented a sermon on the topic of “Hope is my Anchor” and gave me a starting point and content for this little devotional. In our previous discussions, we have focused on Love, Grace and now we will tackle Hope, the least discussed of the three, I believe.

It is critically important that we understand hope since scripture says:

 …those who forget God have no hope. They are like rushes without any mire to grow in; or grass without water to keep it alive. Suddenly it begins to wither, even before it is cut. — Job 8:11-13 TLB

But what is hope? I found two definitions. In the dictionary, hope means a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. And, in a Bible dictionary, I found a very similar meaning of to trust in, wait for, or desire something; or to expect something beneficial in the future. Is that the way we use the word “hope?” Are we using the word “hope” in the right way or is it optimism (hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something) we are meaning? What is the difference? Here’s an example: It’s springtime regardless of what the weather looks like outside. So, I can say “I hope it is sunny every day this spring.” We are hopeful of that, but it isn’t a certain hope, it isn’t based in reality, it is optimistic. And, optimism is better than pessimism where we would say, “It’s spring and it will probably be gloomy and cold all season” which is definitely not hopeful. However, we truly do have the hope of spring. It is spring. Optimism only works for things you can control. When something bad happens, optimism says, “It’s not as bad as you think,” but hope would say, “It’s bad, it’s really bad, BUT I still believe it will get better.” Optimism is Psychological and Hope is Theological.

There are three kinds of hope. The first is wishful hope, which is what I described above and what most of us use the word “hope’ for. “I hope the light turns green.” This is worthless hope. It is a false hope. There is nothing that will change the light by your hoping.

The second kind of hope is expectant hope. This hope has some basis in reality. For example, if you plant seeds, you can hope they grow. (Wishful hope would be hoping your garden grew without planting any seeds.) So, you can have expectant hope, you planted seeds and you hope they grow, but will they grow for certain? They may or may not.

Lastly, there is CERTAIN HOPE and this is the Biblical use of the word hope. Hebrews 6:19a says:

This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God… (TLB)

Real hope is based on God’s word and NOT my wishes. There is no doubt in certain hope. You can count on God’s promises because they are sure things and you will want to build your life on this type of hope. The above verse tells us the three things that certain hope is. It is strong, trustworthy and it’s an anchor.

Using the anchor illustration, let’s explore what an anchor is used for. It is used to keep a ship from drifting and it adds stability in a storm. Doesn’t God’s word do that for us? Without an anchor, it is easy to drift downstream and without being connected to God and His word, it is easy for us to drift too. We also need this certain hope for stability. The bigger the ship, the bigger the anchor needed. So in our lives, what does that look like? If you want to live a little life and stay uninvolved and not do a mighty work for God, then you can get away with a teeny tiny anchor, however, if your life involves others and you want to live a big, full, abundant life, you are going to need a big anchor. A big anchor for your soul.

We get this certain hope, aka “anchor” from God’s word. Certain hope is based on God’s promises in the Bible. As Rick Warren stated,

“Certain hope is not based on what is sensed, but what is said. Not based on my emotions but what is spoken and it is not based on my Imagination, but on God’s obligation to do what he says he will do.” 

There are approximately (because who can truly count them?) 8,810 promises and 7,487 of them are made by God to us! One thing we are certain of is that God can’t lie, so these promises are what we should stand on. When we put our hope in His promises we can be certain of them. 

One big ah-ha moment I got when I was studying this topic was that we can be certain of God’s promises, but the thing that I sometimes don’t take into account is that God has all of eternity to make his promises come true. He is not limited to our life here on earth. So when we hope for something, and we check it against His word, He has until eternity to fulfill his promise, but we can be filled with hope because we know that he will!

The more we know his promises, the closer we will be to him, and the closer we are to Him, the more hopeful we will be. I read that hope gives the motivation and courage needed to succeed. It’s been said that a person can live forty days without food, four days without water, four minutes without air, but only four seconds without hope. I think that is a major incentive for us to look for the certain hope that we know is available to us!

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound! We all know the beloved hymn Amazing Grace and God’s grace is just that…amazing, but, are we as good at grace as He is?

When you look up grace in a dictionary, you will find at least 7 explanations of it as a noun. It can mean simple elegance or refinement of movement, for example, a ballerina is graceful. Grace, the second definition is: Courteous goodwill (friendly, helpful, or cooperative feelings or attitude.) And, then we get to the Christian definition which is: A spontaneous gift from God to people – generous, free, and unexpected and undeserved. As the hymn explains God’s grace is amazing. He can give us undeserved gifts easily and he does. He has amazing grace because He is amazing!

But the word grace is not just to be looked at as a noun. The word is also a verb. God graces us daily with his goodwill. He does it easily because he is God, but just like he expects us to love as he has loved us, I think he expects us to show grace to others as he has shown grace to us. (This is harder for us because we aren’t quite as amazing as he is!)

So, how can we practice God’s grace in our lives?

Before we dive in we need to recognize where grace comes from. Grace is the unmerited, unearned love and favor of God. So we have grace from God and if we have that, we should be able to share it, right?

2 Corinthians 9:8 states: 

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

You are equipped to practice God’s grace with others.

2 Timothy 1:9 even tells us that grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

We’ve had it since the beginning of time, so we need to share it! So how can we go about that? The following are some ideas:

• Just like we learned with our love lesson, we have to love ourselves before we can share love with others, and grace is the same way. You need to start practicing grace by giving yourself grace. How many times have you told someone else to give themselves grace but you find it hard to do for yourself? Treat yourself with Kindness – If you practice grace with yourself it will be easier to extend it to others.
• Learn to Let Go – many things are out of our control so to practice grace we need to let go. However, if there is something in your control that you need to do to let it go, you must. If you are holding on to anger or bitterness, you need to forgive. And if something is nagging at you, you may need to apologize. Forgiveness and apologies allow everyone to move on.
• Practice Gratitude – I thought this was a no-brainer since I was raised with this discipline, but I was surprised a few years ago when I attended a workshop and the speaker suggested attendees begin writing down 3 things they were thankful for daily and one person questioned what to do if you didn’t have 3. We ALWAYS have things to be thankful for. Be mindful of them. It is easy to act with grace when you recognize all you have been given and are thankful for.
• Have Compassion & Speak Kindly – You never know what someone is going through. Compassion means “sympathetic pity & concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others” CONCERN for the misfortune of others. That person who is having a bad day needs compassion even if their bad day is causing them to behave in a way that is hard to be compassionate to. Proverbs 15:1-2 says “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.” Speak kindly & compassionately. The phrase “Bless her heart” comes to mind. It sincerely means fondness or sympathy for someone but it has turned into an underhanded insult sometimes in the south. I’ve never really used it, but I like it and even if I started to say it as an insult, the sincere meaning could be found. Seriously, if I used it because I felt like someone did something I thought was stupid and didn’t know any better, I might say “Bless her heart” but maybe I should be expressing compassion – sincere pity or concern that the person didn’t have the same ability to understanding as I did. Wink wink. (OK, the next lesson should be on humility!!) Regardless – Bless her heart!! Which moves us to the next way to practice grace..,…
• Accept People for who they are. You cannot change others, you can only change how you interact with them. Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. You will be practicing grace when you accept others as they are and deal with them using compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience & love. 
• Lastly, Have a sense of humor – I had a conversation the other morning in which I was sharing all my aches and pains and troubles of the day and my friend was commiserating and sharing all of hers from back pain & a cold to a flooded basement, & broken wrist. I ended the conversation by saying she would turn it all into a funny story…eventually. When times are tough, show yourself grace and learn to laugh about it. There is an emoji for SMH (Shaking my head. ) The open palmed hand on the face. I use that one maybe a little too often to express my frustration with myself or others and maybe I need to simply follow that up with a smiling emoji and laugh. The next time I use that palm in the face emoji I may have to use it as an alert that I need to show myself or someone else some grace.

These are all practical ways you can practice grace simply and daily, but none of them will ever be as amazing as the amazing grace our amazing God has given us. How sweet the sound!

Joy During Advent

It’s Advent and many of you know all about lighting Advent candles and having Advent wreaths as your traditions.  During Advent, we light the candles of hope, joy, love, and peace, and traditionally, each week would focus on each of those things.  But, this year, I’ve decided to focus on Joy from the very beginning of Advent. Joy. Joy. Joy. And, Joy.  Light the candle of Joy!

The Christmas season is the time of year when you see the word joy everywhere.  Ornaments, decorations, sweatshirts, and lawn ornaments all have the word. Many Christmas Carols use the word joy in them in addition to songs we sing year-round.  “I have the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart, down in my heart.”  So, this year especially, I think we need to remember that down in our hearts is exactly where joy resides. Joy is one of the fruits of the spirit, so it is within us and not dependent on what is going on around us.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  –Galatians 5:22-23

There is a difference between happiness and joy and to simply try to explain it, happiness depends on happenings.  Things that are going on around you and the circumstances that you are living through.  Joy is different.  Joy is from within and is a feeling. Aaaaaaaah.  We can feel joy even when we can’t be happy.  What a relief. Since joy is within us, no one can steal it. It can’t be taken from us. We have to make a decision to choose joy even when our circumstances are not what we hope for.

My favorite definition of joy is from Kay Warren. She states:

Joy is: “The settled assurance that God is in control of every detail in my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything will be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.” (from Choose Joy, 2012)

Let’s determinedly be assured that God is in control and that everything will be all right and let’s praise God in all things…even this.  Whatever “this” is for you. No matter what today brings, remember joy is inside of you and you CAN be joyful.

Waiting …

I told K that I was retreating to my studio to write for an hour…I revised it and said “at least 30 minutes” because I have been working on writing an Advent Devotional/Bible Study for a while and I need to be more diligent. I made it to the room, tried to rid myself of distractions, had my cup of tea, found my notes, and began. I needed to print out a resource so I hit the “print” button and that’s where it stopped. The document did not print and my plan of writing had stopped. I did what everyone does and selected “print” again.  Nothing. Maybe I didn’t actually select it, so I tried again. Print. Maybe I’m too far away from my wireless printer, so I picked up my laptop, sat next to the printer on the floor, and selected “print” again. Nothing. I checked my settings and made sure my wireless was turned on and the printer address was valid. Everything appeared to be set up and working. Print. Again…nothing.  Finally, I did what apparently needed to be done.  I turned off my computer. I sat for a few seconds. I turned my computer back on and then I heard it.  The whirring of the printer as it readied itself and began its work. It started shooting out multiple copies of the document that I was waiting for. One neat and tidy document appeared….and then another…and then another…and another…please stop….another…another….how many times did I push the print button?! It stopped. Aaaaah. I now sat on the floor beside my laptop, my printer, and an overabundance of documents.  I only needed one.

It made me stop and think, though, about how many times my prayer life feels like that.  I pray a prayer and want an immediate response. “Lord, fix this. Gimme this. Let me have this. I need this. I want this. Can I have it? Can I have it now?” I try all I can to get what I want. I’m not getting it. I keep demanding. It’s not working. It’s not happening. Nothing. Finally, I sit. I wait. Is that what God was after all along? I wonder. I sit and now I smile because I know that the Lord is just waiting for His timing to be right and then the abundance of blessings will be shooting out of heaven like the papers out of my printer.  I can’t wait to watch them flow! And, the best part of all…I’m not worried about God running out of blessings like I am worried about this printer running out of ink!

OK. I’ve written. Now back to my original task of an Advent Devotional. It’s coming….just wait…I hope.

Micah 7:7
But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  –2 Corinthians 9:8

Psalm 39:7
“And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in You.

Psalm 33:20
Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.

Hosea 12:6
Therefore, return to your God,
Observe kindness and justice,
And wait for your God continually.

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

I Got Nothing

Honestly, some days I get so wrapped up in things that are out of my control.  I feel like I have no clear direction, no motivation, no control.  I don’t know where to turn and even though my Christian training tells me that I am to turn to God, I’m not even sure how to do that when I face overwhelming circumstances.  I got nothing. Which as it turns out is exactly where God wants me because when I “got nothing” that is when I solely rely on Him. He’s got my nothings covered because His word says that:

Nothing will ever happen to me that God does not already know about. –Psalm 139:1-4

Nothing will ever happen to me that is a mistake. –Psalm 139:4,16

Nothing will ever happen that I cannot handle by God’s power & grace. — 2 Corinth 1:9-10

Nothing will ever happen that will not eventually be used by God for some good purpose in my life. –Romans 8:28 and Nothing will ever happen to me without God’s presence. –Matt 28:20

As I study more about nothing, I realize that I should Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let my requests be made known to God.–Phil 4:6;

So, when I feel like “I got nothing,” I read those words and realize I have everything.  My mood changes, my focus changes and I can get on with my day.  I can look outward and attempt to do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;–Phil 2:3

It looks like I better look for ways to stop focusing on nothing and myself and start doing something for someone else!  Maybe you should too.

 

 

Never Pray For Patience

A woman at church overheard me say under my breath, “God grant me patience” as I rolled my eyes and saw my kids were getting into.  She quickly corrected me and said, “Never pray for patience or the Lord will give you lots of opportunities to work on it!”  I tend to believe her and now I have another situation that I think the Lord may be giving me to work on.  Stupid people.  Exasperating people. Annoying people. Frustrating people. In general, People! There are people in my life who I find very difficult to work with and yet, the Lord keeps putting them in my path. (OK, well some are family, so it makes sense that I’d have them in my life, but others seem rather random.) I have asked God countless times why I have problems dealing with these people and it seems the more I ask, the more he grants me the opportunity to work on my problem-solving skills.  This concept doesn’t appear to be a new idea.

Stepping Heavenward by Mrs. E. Prentiss was published in 1869 and the lead character, Katherine, in this book struggles as I do. She asked her older, wiser, friend Mrs. Campbell what she would do about it.  Mrs. Campbell’s response gives us all something to ponder. “If I were living with them and they made me unhappy, I would ask God to relieve me of this trial if He thought it best. If He did not think it best, I would then try to find out the reason. He might have two reasons. One would be the good they might do me. the other, the good I might do them.”

Interesting perspective. The next time you are faced with a person that you find uncongenial or one who misunderstands you, think about what good they might be for you or what good you might be for them.  It definitely sounds like a challenge to consider.  And, our character in the book struggled as well and asked: “what if neither party can be of the least use to the other?”

Wise Mrs. Campbell explains that our friend, Katherine may be missing the point. She claims that disagreeable people do us good by allowing us to practice self-denial and self-control that their mere presence demands.

There you have it. Even if we think we aren’t doing well getting along with others and even if others bother us and cause us grief, we can applaud ourselves for simply staying in control and not killing them! Practice self-denial and self-control and we will learn to live in peace with all. And, the sooner we can master it, the less we will be given the opportunity to practice it!

 ⁸ Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. — Titus 1:8 

Why Give Thanks?

I have written about this many times and it seems to be a life’s mission for me.  We are supposed to be thankful for everything.  Last year, I attended a seminar where the presenter suggested that people write down at least 3 things to be thankful for each day.  One woman spoke up and said, “But what if we don’t have anything that day?”  Are you serious?!  Uh, you’re breathing! That counts for one! There is always something to be thankful for!

So, we’ve all seen articles and heard interviews where people share why it is important for us to give thanks.  In the United States we believe we even have a holiday to celebrate: Thanksgiving, so regardless of religion or faith, our nation is to be a thankful nation.  Other cultures and countries also celebrate festivals to express gratitude during the harvest season. It seems this is a great time to be thankful.

Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., the author of Gratitude Works!: A 21-day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity suggests 5 reasons why giving thanks is actually good for you.

1. Counting blessings boosts your health by lessening depression and lowering blood pressure and creating more optimism.
2. A daily practice of gratitude even slows down some of the effects of neurodegeneration that occurs as we age.
3. Positive emotions like appreciation significantly lowered levels of cortisol which is the “stress hormone.”
4. Being thankful increases oxytocin, the “bonding hormone” so it helps you in your relationships.
5. Gratefulness is good for the heart and the waistline and may achieve a 10% reduction in systolic blood pressure and decrease dietary fat intake by up to 20%.

These are all great benefits of being grateful, but I’d like to add one more reason we should give thanks. In 52 A.D. the apostle Paul wrote, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I think he may have been on to something.  It seems this concept of gratitude has been around a long time. Why give thanks? There are many reasons and benefits, but I do because the Bible tells me to.

Can I Help You?

Jesus said to me “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. — Matthew 11:28

As a church member entered the building with her cane in one hand and her purse in the other, I offered her help.  She handed me her purse, grabbed my elbow and said, “I never refuse help.” It was such a refreshing response. Many times when we offer help, we are met with rejection. “No, I’ve got it.” “No thanks, I’m good.” And, many times we respond that way when we are asked. Now I understand that sometimes when we are holding things just so, handing one item off would upset our balance, but many times we simply could accept the help and don’t.  So why don’t we?

Most of us would ask for help if we were lifting a refrigerator, but we avoid getting help with the smaller things.  The same may hold true when we are talking about our spiritual burdens. If a real crisis hits, we go to God, but these little pesky everyday burdens we choose to handle on our own.  We all know that if you keep adding pebbles to a bucket, the bucket eventually gets too heavy to carry and I believe the same holds true for our pesky burdens. They will keep adding up until they become too heavy to carry and then we will turn them over to the Lord.  We don’t have to do that. We can share our little burdens with God, just as we can accept help with some of the little tasks we face in our lives. Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

So, for your spiritual burdens, give even the little ones to God and for your physical burdens, share them with your friends and family. That way we all get to participate in God’s plan for us.

Thanks, friend, for accepting the offer of my help.  I think it actually helped us both.

Fall Foliage Prediction

It’s currently mid-October and I am looking out my window at some beautiful fall leaves. The colors are vibrant, the sun is shining and Autumn appears to be gorgeous. This fact is barely worth mentioning, except that I didn’t expect it. Every year I look forward to fall and October is one of my favorite months, but this year, I had a different attitude at the beginning of the month. You see, I was discussing the fall leaves with someone and they said that this year the leaves probably wouldn’t change colors and that as far as they could tell, this year it was going to be “Brown and Down.” WHAT?! Brown and Down? Who wants that? I want the reds, the yellows, the oranges! I don’t want the leaves to become brown and down!

But, when they made that statement, it was pretty much true. In our area, we had the Cicadas which caused many of our trees to lose big clumps of leaves. (Those dead leaves have been plaguing our lawns for a while.) And I must admit that I did see some leaves turning brown and falling, but this week we got a surprise. The warmer September temperatures made the leaves change colors later and it appears that in our area, we aren’t even at peak yet. This fall, I get to enjoy the changing leaves as I always have.

The noteworthy part of this story is that one person’s new clever phrase “Brown and Down” almost stole my joy. My mood instantly switched from looking forward expectantly towards the colors of autumn to dreading the leaves turning brown. Someone dashed my hope. With three words!

It makes me wonder how many times I dash someone’s hope with only a few words. Phrases like “I doubt it, probably not, and It’s always something” could impact someone more than I intend to. Someone could be looking forward to planning an event and they could ask me if I think others would be interested. I may answer, “I doubt it.” Do you think that is a big boost to their morale? What about, “Think this sunshine will last until the weekend?” “Probably not.” Yuck! Who wants to be that person? Not me. However, I find that I sometimes I am that person and sometimes even worse.

Just like weathermen that get the forecast wrong, Fall Foliage Predictions are just that….predictions. No one knows when or how vibrantly the leaves will change colors, but saying something negative doesn’t lift anyone’s spirits. I read a quote that says, “If you can’t be positive at least be quiet.” Scripture says, “There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.” So, to the people who were believing in the Brown and Down Fall, I will say nothing. I will go outside and stand quietly on this gorgeous day and watch the beautiful leaves fall.

Also, to these people, I really didn’t take much offense…I just needed something to write about. I found the new phrase rather clever and I wanted to share it, but I’m glad you were wrong!

A Time for Everything

3 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.