Shade Tree Wisdom 2/17/09

The Writer says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” Eccl. 3,1.

I was reminded of this during the last day or so when I was gathering together the facts of last year so my tax man could do my income taxes. Funny how some figures that seemed so easy to remember find a way to hide away and make life difficult. Oh, I know there are computer programs that will do much of the work for you. What am I complaining about, now anyway, the Lord has provided for the years as He always has so I am content still.

But it does remind me that there are so many things one keeps that ought to be given short shrift, put to the shredder, and out of life. How is the state of your attic, and the spare closet, and the stuff you have stored in the corners of the garage? The story here is that people have their garage so filled with stuff that the cars stand out in the driveway. The ‘stuff’ is more or less worthless, the cars cost around $40,000.00. Go figure.

Towns used to have dumps, and citizens took their unwanted or outgrown or broken stuff there to be trashed and burned. We had an “Uncle Ed”, the town handyman, who would take a truck filled with stuff to the dump, and come home, truck jammed with stuff he ‘found’ at the dump, and stored in his barn.

Ecclesiastes goes on “A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear and a time to mend,
A time to be silent, and a time to speak:. Chapter 3, 6-7.

In it all, let us always remember who we are. Peter calls us “A chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that we may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2,9. And whatever we do, we do it “for the Lords sake” 2,13. And we do it “so that in all things God may be glorified” 4,11.

Keep all this in mind, then “for everything there is a time” makes sense, because the hand of God is in it.
GPD 2/17/09