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"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven—
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted....
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace....
He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, without the possibility that mankind will find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end." (Eccl. 3:1,2,7,8,11 NASB)
It was true that I had been through high stress. Everyone told me, "Lyn, you need to take care of yourself. You need to slow down and recover from the prolonged emotional, physical, mental and psychological stress you've been enduring for the past 2-6 year!"
If you know me at all, you know that following the above advice goes against my core being. God had, after all, sustained me wonderfully over the past 6 years, especially during the past two when my stress became so intense. I didn't feel stressed, not at all. Surely this advice was for someone who didn't have access to the strength and protection that comes with knowing the Lord and being able to surrender all of your problem to Him!
Yes, it was ignorant bliss that carried me through to the day when my stress was partially removed. Then I crashed. I was exhausted. I started crying at the drop of a hat. I couldn't make a decision to save my soul...
Wait. What was wrong? Had God's strength been totally ripped from me? Maybe I just needed to trust Him more!
I tried, but the only results was that I was more and more exhausted and emotional. I realized then that God had, indeed, been carrying me through, and one of His methods was a little chemical your body produces under times of high stress called "adrenalin"! I had been running on adrenalin for so many months that my body saw it as a necessary chemical, a drug so to speak! Now, with my major stress gone, my body had stopped producing my little "drug", and I crashed...
Eccl, 3 1-11 has always been one of my favorite passages of scripture. I find it so comforting to know that God never expects us to always be pursuing the same goals. He gives us everything -- blessings, trials, purpose -- all in a season, and that season will one day be over.
I know that the church is full of people who are still learning about depending upon the Lord for their strength, who are still seeking their purpose, who haven't yet found the time or the money or the motivation to fulfill their God-given purposes.
The church also has many who never stop working, who are always about fulfilling their purposes. Who firmly -- and rightly -- believe that if there is a job to be done, God will equip us to do it.
The devil is busy with both groups. He makes the second group of people feel guilty if they stop, and he makes the first group feel that their purpose isn't possible due to health/financial/time/knowledge difficulties. And as such, neither extreme is going to be fully God-honouring.
I personally relate to the second category, and as I sat and listened to how I should "slow down", "accept help", "recover" from the trauma my life had become, I just wanted to scream out: "No! My God will supply ALL my needs!"
God and I were discussing this as I hiked down a lovely trail near my nephew's house in Virginia. God brought Eccl. 3 to mind, especially verse 7a: "A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;". As I was meditating on this, I nearly stumbled and fell over what appeared to be a rock in the trail. Further investigation revealed a little turtle. He was completely pulled back into his shell, and I could see his beady eyes watching me from the protection of that armor. His message was clear: He wasn't coming out for pictures!
I felt God speaking to me then: "There is a time to serve and a time to recover from serving." Now I know that isn't part of Eccl 3, but the essence of those wise words remained: There would be a time for the turtle to move on; but in the moment, the time was right for him to simply rest in the protection of his shell. And for me, there would again be a time for me to continue in my many quests; but for now, the time was right for me to recover emotionally, to grieve my losses, to rest and to enjoy life.
Where do you find yourself? Is it time for you to be pursuing your God-given purpose? To put aside the excuses and let God be the strength and energy and wisdom and provision you need? Or is it time to relax in the protective "shell" of our fortress and our strong tower (See Ps. 18:2), to recover from our war wounds, and to bask in His love?
Remember, no matter what "camp" you find yourself in, it is only for a season. The time will come to either return to what God has called you to do, or to simply allow Him to heal you of your war wounds!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
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