To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to tear, and a time to sew. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7a
When in a time of great stress or sorrow, the Jewish people would tear their garments--like when someone in their family died or when they heard blasphemy. (remember Jesus's trial before the Sanhedrin?) There were certain places that a man or a woman would tear their tunics.
Eventually those torn places would be mended--when the grieving or anger was past.
So, haven't we all had time when we'd like to rip something to shreds? Have there also been times when you wish you could undo that shredding? And sometimes, that's impossible, isn't it? Life doesn't have any undo keys--how I wish it did!
With God, though, the tears aren't impossible to fix. It can take some bending of the knee to ask forgiveness. It can take eating a lot of humble pie. And sometimes, it takes living with what can't be fixed. He can help with that too.
There have been times to tear and times to sew for me. God helps us, when we let Him, in both cases. Help when we feel like tearing, and wisdom to know when the time to sew is here.
Father, please teach us how to grieve or be angry without destruction. Teach us how to mend that which is torn. O God, grand me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Thank you, Lord.
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