Give it Time

A pinecone lying on the ground, now dried, no longer its former chestnut brown but faded by the sun, is yet full of seeds. Full of life though you might not think so by their dull appearance. Lying on the ground on a bed of fallen pine needles just waiting for their moment to “become something.” Their pre-programmed destiny includes an eventual fall to the ground but they’ve not fallen from grace. Oh, not at all . . . the potential is there! Perhaps a small ground squirrel or bird or field mouse will find a meal and be sustained. Perhaps a seed or two from the nearly spent cone will produce a towering tree where birds will nest or children will play hide and seek behind its sturdy trunk doing their best to be invisible . . . or a thoughtful soul may sit beneath its shade to read a psalm. Only time will tell.

There are times to get out there and conquer. There are times to make a difference by being active and engaged. There are times to grow and develop into what we are destined to be and sometimes that may feel as if time has nearly come to a full stop.

But the clock never stops. Time does not sleep. And we are growing and becoming even in the times when we feel as if a silent pause has wrapped us in a heavy cloak. The time is coming. We are all becoming . . . to everything (including times of quiet and stillness) there is a season and a time.