HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
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,
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.

NO, I'm not crazy... and it is not too early to say it...
Everyone that knows me and my family know that this has been a hard year. I was talking to someone the other day and we were briefly discussing that it has been a rough year, but I won’t wait for January to hope for a better one… Our year is up Nov. 7th. Yeah, I have a thing for numbers. Typically dates, birthdays, phone numbers, etc., I tend to remember.
Anyway, as of today, I believe it’s a new year. I need to hope and believe it will be a time of change, not to use that over-used word ‘change’ from the recent election season, but a more positive season this coming year is what I am looking for. A restoration of those things that had been lost.
Although I don’t need to spell it all out, but it seemed as though we couldn’t get a break. I know I don’t need to talk about the past 12 months, and what happened with/to whom. We all have experienced a sense of loss at some point. -of normalcy, of life, hope of life, of childhood, reminder that no future is set in stone… At the same time, with the loss of normalcy, a new normal has come about, and still moving forward. A new hope of life that (with lots of prayer) might finally come about, and a new life that is certain to come about. We have a reminder that God’s ways don’t always make sense, especially at the fork in the road, but once you are forced onto the detour, sometimes you see where the future is going. You may see how God is restoring those “lost” parts of life. Solomon wanted to let us know of the seasons here in Ecclesiastes.
One thing is I am trying to remind myself, some things you can’t change. I have to go with the flow and hope and pray for the best. Watching the election results on TV, no matter what happened, I could not change the outcome, but I can pray for the journey, and hope that God somehow can find his way into the decisions that are made. Watching loved ones go through hurt, physical and emotional, I can’t change how it happened, but pray for the outcome, and be there to support them in their journey when possible. I could not do anything to keep from losing my child, but I have to believe God needed them with Him more than me, and pray for a sibling.
Change… it can be a good thing, too!