The Gift of God

To Whom it May Concern

“There is a time to be born and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2). A seventies song echoed those very words: Turn, Turn, Turn.

To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die

A time to plant, a time to reap

A time to kill, a time to heal

A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down

A time to dance, a time to mourn

A time to cast away stones

A time to gather stones together

To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time of war, a time of peace

A time of love, a time of hate

A time you may embrace

A time to refrain from embracing

To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose

A time to rend, a time to sew

A time to love, a time to hate

A time of peace, I swear it's not too late!

(Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season) Lyrics

by The Byrds http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/forrestgump/turnturnturntoeverythingthereisaseason.htm)

The time to be born has a time, and a place, yes. The time to die has a time, a place, and a how. However, these parts of life do not really matter, does it? Maybe the time to be born, but what is of greater importance is the in-between time. What happens after birth and maybe just before death is what makes life. It is not the date you were born or the date you died, that really matters. It is "the dash" between those years and what you do with it, to make a difference in your life (Mac Anderson).

You are born smiling. Suddenly, as you trot along enjoying life, the rug is pulled from underneath your steady feet. You are smacked into infinity and beyond. You look this way and that way and find that you are utterly bewildered. What now? Everything you thought of that was perfect, is suddenly warped by space and time. Is this what you were born for – to be freaked out like this? Your body is in perfect shape, but your heart and your mind, and your soul suddenly have no footing. You walk along, you continue to smile at the world but your inside world, as you know it, no longer exists. The world sees you walk and talk and do things and achieve things, but they have no idea what cracked and broken pieces you carry within you.

They continue to demand from you to perform. They continue to squeeze you and break you because you are not like them. You do not fit the mold that they want you to fit into. Why can you not be like the rest of us? We work for our living; we accumulate things, we hoard things. "Wake up and smell the roses," they say.

You discover that there is no one around you; you are alone. You have to look around and crawl into filthy holes for safety. They continue to humiliate you and have no clue or understanding of where you have been and come from. Is there not one person in this world that can see the beauty inside of you? Is there not one person that can understand that this outer appearance is not what is inside? Despite the shattered pieces inside of you, you have lived. How have you lived? You have lived above the darkness that wants to continuously fold around your soul – that thing that wants to destroy you and wants to murder you from inside. Yet, here you are again and again – living.

Finding that reason to live has not been easy, but to live through all the darkness is even more difficult. You walk along the roads, and there are so many stumbling blocks no matter where you go. You have been given the gift to overcome, but you have not yet lived your life. When will that break come for you where God will allow you to use all your beautiful and bountiful gifts to His glory? I know it will happen soon and sooner than you think. God is a God of Love. He will not let one of us go astray.

Your past is fraught with huge errors and flaws and mishaps and wrong turns. Yet, here you are. The most awesome thing about you is that you are willing to make right the errors and the flaws, the mishaps and the wrong turns. That is one thing that the Lord God Almighty cannot overlook. Your humility and strength will see you through. That is what makes you stand out from the rest. The world does not know what they are missing. But then again why would they care. Believe in who you are. You have a solid and firm footing even though it feels soggy and wobbly right now. It is there somewhere for you to find.

Many days have passed already, but you don’t seem to see the light. Look ahead; lift up your chin and see the reality of your life. God is looking out for you. What a privilege you have to know this one God who is faithful and just. You also have the most wonderful gifts that can be found on this earth. The biggest of which is your compassion and utmost empathy. Who would wash the body of another man and clean up after him? It is only someone who can dig so deep that only the God inside of him can find it. You are special and will always be special no matter what the circumstances. No-one can take that part away from you. What a real and solid person you are. It is like meeting Jesus. You walk in His steps; you are an example of what Jesus would be and have been when He walked this earth. It is not how much of the Bible you know, but how much of God you have in you. Continue being the Godly person you are – never lose that.

Look around you. There are so many men walking around with all the riches in the world, but their middle name is Arrogance. You have nothing and you are so strong and humble at the same time. It is time, it seems, that this prophet walks into the world and presents Jesus to them. They do not know Him, yet they say they do, but their hearts are far away from Him. Here is a man in the most privileged position – he can walk with God and talk with God, know His Spirit and know His life through His

own experiences.