"Time"

A time to search and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.
- Eccl. 3:6

We were at small group tonight, and I read the whole "time to do this and time to do that" passage from Ecclesiastes 3. When I got to verse 6, I stumbled a bit before going on to the next verses. Here's he way the bolded phrases diagrammed in my head:

a time to search - there is a time, a passage of minutes/days, that needs to be searched, to be pondered, to be meditated upon; there's got to be some time for meditation, but there also might need to be some time that can be pondered again, "searching" it for God's meaning and purposes

a time to lose - not just having a time period where we experience loss, but actually knowing there is a time that we need to let go of... or at least not hold onto so tightly, like bitterness or arrogance, that we can lay aside

a time to keep - same idea, only with the intentionality of keeping this time, cherishing in our hearts what God is doing around us

a time to throw away - purposefully releasing the times in life that would serve to hinder us, to kill our dreams and destroy our relationships

Diagram these phrases, and "time" is the direct object of the verb. At least, that's the way I saw it tonight. Search that time. Keep that time. Throw away that time. Feel free to lose that time. I thought it was pretty cool.