Plant, Uproot, Repeat

Spiritual reflection to start the day with writer and broadcaster, Fiona Stewart.
Script: Good morning.
The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build.

Life is never as straightforward as we might like it to be. As human beings living within the constraints of time and place, we learn to be resilient in the face of ups and downs, joys and trials.

Last Sunday I visited some friends and met their newborn baby. Later, I celebrated an older relative’s birthday by dropping by with some flowers. On the way, I spent some time on the beach where earlier in the year we scattered my mum’s ashes. A time to be born and a time to die, with all of life in between.

We may bridle at the idea of there being ‘a time to kill and a time to heal’, but in moments of clarity, we know when a project has come to a natural end, recognise when it’s time to close a particular chapter or learn acceptance when we experience the demise of a long held dream. Meanwhile, ‘a time to heal’ allows us space to pause and reflect, and to grieve what has been lost.

Life and death, planting and uprooting, are unavoidable in life.

Wherever we may find ourselves in the rhythm of planting and uprooting today, I pray that we may know grace to live well, recognising the unchanging goodness of God in every circumstance.

Heavenly Father
Would you help us to be resilient, thankful and realistic in the ups and downs. Remind us, and those around us, of your unchanging goodness and love. Amen