To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. -Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Timing is important. All the experiences listed in these verses are appropriate at certain times. The secret to peace with God is to discover, accept, and appreciate God’s perfect timing. The danger is to doubt or resent God’s timing. This can lead to despair, rebellion, or moving ahead without his advice. (Commentary, LASB).

After returning from 12 days in the U.S., we were glad to be home in Guatemala. We were looking forward to the predictable chaos that is Central America, and to find all in order, just how we left it, but it was not to be. Nothing earthshaking but enough to keep us off balance. The repair of a broken water pipe connection leads to a pierced propane gas line to our stove.

Later a small remodeling project explodes into a full blown re-engineer of a kitchen counter. No kitchen privileges for the next 6 days or so. Thankfully, a small toaster oven keeps us rigged for meals. We eagerly await the “time for building up, and for laughing.” A young man labored all day breaking down this section of counter. No flimsy Formica here, but robust block, concrete, re-bar, and ceramic tile.

A little extra for DIY’ers – What do you do with a scrap of re-bar? You make a hack saw of course. If you covet this, you will not find it a Home Depot.