Adapting to Changing Times

Growing up, my parents enstilled in me that life by its very nature was going to include ups and downs (probably, more downs than ups). There will be successes celebrate AND failures we will need to mitigate and learn from. Moreover, my parents taught me that life is fluid. No matter what we plan and hope for, an unexpected twist will manifest itself sooner than later. The extent to which we enjoy life is often highly dependent on how we handle these challenges. The key is to be flexible (we shouldn't try to build a house where we are supposed to erect a tent). Using our discerning spirit, we must learn how to tell the time. 

Since "W.I.W." didn't work out as I hoped, I've been meditating on this familar passage of scripture:

Ecclesiastes 3
New International Version (NIV)

A Time for Everything
1 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.

In thinking about the time, I also have been listening to a secular song from the 1970s. (SIDE NOTE:I was suprised when I found it on iTunes!) My dad often referenced this song's title when it was a certain time and things were not going as we hoped/planned:

 

Although the lyrics in their entirety do not apply to my current situation, the chorus rings true:

"If it don't fit, don't force it. Just relax and let it go.
Just 'cause that's how you want it, doesn't mean it will be so."

 

To be honest, a part of me still wants what I want and hopes against hope. I don't know what the future holds. But, I know who holds my future. I pray God's will be done. Amen.