PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

October 19, 2022

TIME IN BETWEEN

Recently I got a new BiPap machine.  Several months ago the old one started showing its age.  Two of the indicator lights stopped working.  The heater no longer functioned.  My medical supplier said that it was time to get a new and improved machine.  The old one had a chip I had to turn in to prove I was using the machine.  The new one transmits the information through its modem.

I find that I am having felling of nostalgia about my old machine.  It served me well for almost six years.  I took it with me on my trip to Ireland where I learned the machine’s transformer not only worked on 110 current but also 220.  My machine gave faithful service on a train trip to Seattle, Washington.  There have been few nights when I was not attached to the machine.  I am finding it hard to take it somewhere to have it recycled.

The Book of Ecclesiastes tells us “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)  The author goes on to say that there is a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up what has been planted; a time to build up and a time to break down; a time to gather stones and a time to throw away stones; a time to keep and a time to throw away.  Each of these focuses on beginnings and endings.

It seems to me that Ecclesiastes leaves out one very important time: the time in between. Between birth and death is a life lived.  Between planting and harvesting there is a time for growth.  Between building and tearing down is a season of use.  What happened to all of those stones that were first gathered and then scattered?  Personally, I much prefer the time in between over beginnings and endings.

I hate to throw anything away.  I had a pair of jeans that I wore well beyond what seemed reasonable.  When I reluctantly got rid of them they had a number of gaping holes and were about to fall apart.  I have a selection of ties that goes back forty years.  When my wheelbarrow gave out I could not bear to part with it when I got a new one.  I find it is a good place to pot plants. I will only get rid of something when necessity demands it or there is a flood that makes the decision for me.

I also hate to go shopping. And when I do shop I want to make it as quick as possible.  I am all for shopping on the internet.  I do not have to go from store to store looking for what I want.  In just a few minutes I can find several alternates for what I want, make a decision, and push the purchase button.  With Amazon Prime I do not even have to pay for the postage and can have what I want sometimes overnight.

Intellectually I know that life is made up of times of beginnings and endings.  They frame the life that we live under the sun.  Never-the-less I like to concentrated on the time in between. Beginnings and endings will make a place for themselves without my help.  Ecclesiastes also tells us to live each day that God has given us to the fullest. “Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do.  Let your garments always be white; do not let oil be lacking on your head.  Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your (transitory) life that are given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:7-9)

(This article was originally published October 6, 2019)