THERE IS A TIME FOR EVERYTHING  

- ECCLESIASTES 3: 1-11

Since we had to move to Texas from Nebraska on such a short notice in May of this year, our family did not have the opportunity to take a summer vacation.  To take a break from the busy church duties, to relax and cool my head, and to save some face with my children, I decided to take our family on a winter trip.  We decided to visit Arkansas since one of my friends leads a congregation there.  On the 25th, we departed for Arkansas immediately after the Christmas service; our trip was greeted with heavy rain.  The weather forecast called for freezing rain in Arkansas; however, we felt that such forecast wasn't a big deal, that it would not have a significant bearing on our travel, and commenced with our trip regardless of the weather forecast.

By late afternoon, we arrived in the town of Greenville--which was significantly short of Texarkana, the border region between Texas and Arkansas--and spent the first night there, before leaving towards Little Rock the next morning.  On Tuesday, the following day, heavy rains continued.  We were able to arrive at Texarkana without much difficulties; however, the real trouble lay after Texarkana.  We ate lunch in a small Arkansas town of Arkadelphia and departed for Little Rock at 2 o'clock in the afternoon; between Arkadelphia and Malvern is where the real problem waited for us.  As the temperature dropped, the heavy rain turned into ice on the roads.  Many cars were crawling on the road, having difficulties negotiating the harsh conditions.  At times, we waited in the same spot for an hour as cars in front of us weren't able to move forward.  Some of the cars on the road ran out of gas and stood frozen on the road where they had stopped, further compounding the severe traffic congestion.  Seventy miles separated Arkadelphia and Malvern; it took us 5 hours to make that leg of the trip due to the icy road conditions.

After we arrived in Malvern, we topped off our vehicle with gas; deciding that we could never make it to Little Rock that night--in the middle of darkness, freezing temperature and icy roads--we decided to spend the night in Malvern.  We started looking for vacant rooms, but most of the motels were full of travelers and we could not set a foot into them.

 Some of the people we met in the motels advised that since both I-30 and I-40 will be closed off due to weather conditions, it would be best to sleep in our car in the parking lot.  Sleeping in our car in such conditions--in a town we have never been to, in the middle of such heavy rain and dropping temperatures--was not something that I was prepared to do.  Thinking that we would rather sleep on the road than in a parking lot, we decided to continue towards Little Rock.  On the road, contrary to our expectations, there were many other cars making their way towards their destinations.  Going at a crawling speed, we were able to arrive in Little Rock little before 10 o'clock that night.  

I thought about many things while driving during our recent trip.  Driving in middle of the night, in middle of a pouring sleet and ice, is akin to the trip that people who believe in Jesus make to get to heaven.  The interesting fact is that even though the road may be icy, slippery and harsh for the next mile or so, it clears into a smooth, ice-less and safe road thereafter.  Like the old Korean proverb, which states "even though the skies may fall there is a sanctuary," I realized that no matter how dire and desperate a situation may be, there is always a way out.  Our way to heaven is not always paved with safe and good path.  

Segments of that path may be an uphill, icy road that make the hair on back of our necks stand up; but after we pass through that perilous segment safely, smooth and safe segment awaits us on the other end.  No matter what the situation is, we must never despair and give in.  Would our family have given up on the trip and decided to sleep in our vehicle, there is no telling what dangers might have greeted us.  I decided that until a highway patrolman stops us from travelling on a closed highway, the best course for us was to patiently continue with our travel despite the road conditions and the slow speed.  So is our path to heaven.  If we give up on our quest, through despair and fear of what lies ahead, we can never get to our destination.

We were able to find some consolation in the fact that there were other cars on the road with us.  We were able to feel some solidarity with those other cars out there.  Imagine travelling on a dark, icy road by yourself in middle of heavy freezing rain.  For someone like me, who is not familiar with the roads and the region, it is especially dreadful and fearful.  The fact that other cars were making the same trip gave me a sense of security.  Likewise, we can find great consolation and strength in the fact that in our quest for heavens, there are many who are on the same journey.  A solitary trip, on a dark road, is full of fear; however, a journey on the same road with many brothers and sisters is full of hope and solace.

During the trip, I though very deeply, again, about the meanings behind Jesus' "ten virgins" and the "good Samaritan" metaphors.  Despite the severe weather advisories and warnings, many people failed to plan ahead and fill their gas tanks, thinking that nothing bad could happen to them.  We can see the panic-stricken faces of such people alongside the road, as their fuel tanks ran dry when their cars, crawling in a lower gear, consumed much more fuel than expected.  

These people, I though, were similar to the five virgins who failed to adequately prepare lantern oil and eventually missed their groom Jesus on the night of his coming.  Why did they not bring along extra gas when they knew they would be travelling in such harsh conditions?  Empty tank not only presents problems for the occupants of the concerned vehicle, but it also inconveniences those cars travelling behind.  If we fail to adequately prepare the oil of prayer, the oil of Holy Spirit during our lives of faith, we can cause ourselves, as well as those around us, to take a fall.  We much become like the intelligent virgins, who were able to adequately prepare the necessary oils for success in the life of faith.  

I feel sorry for those who get stranded on the road with no fuel.  Because of the weather conditions and darkness, no one paid particular attention to those vehicles that were stranded.  Most of the cars were probably running low on fuel themselves; or they might have been cursing those stranded vehicles for the inconvenience they caused.  But putting ourselves in their shoes, of the vehicles that were stranded, it is easy to see how desperate the situation can become.  We can see that we have become like the Levites and the priests who ignore those in pain and suffering.  How good would it be, if the roads we travel are ones in which we help and assist those who are in need and despair?  
This trip, the first in a while for our family, made me think about many things.  

Today is the last Sunday of the first year of the new millenium.  I hope that this time, here, can be a time of reflection on ourselves as we close out this year.  For the upcoming year, let's try our best to avoid our mistakes and failures of this past year.  In today's scripture, in Ecclesiaste, it is said that there is a time for everything.  It is said, there is "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 embrace; 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,  time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

As we greet the new year, we must become more careful and solemn.  We must approach this new year not as just another year for us to get one year older, but as a time of thought--where we ask ourselves of the ways to lead a more productive, fruitful lives in front of God and others around us.

 The Year 2000, regardless of our regrets and lamentations, flows into the river of past and will never be repeated again.  As we stand in the last day of the Year 2000, we must forget about the events of the past year.  There are too many things for us to forget about the past year:  The failures, the despairs, the pains, the derisions and criticisms.  Now is the time to think about what we are going to do during the upcoming year, not to dwell on the events of the past year.  We must be determined not to let the painful memories of the past year carry over into the new year.  Now is the time to pray to God, to give us the strength to forget and to construct our course for the new year.

In Ephesian 5, verse 16, it is stated, "redeeming the time, for the days are evil."  As we age, we feel the swiftness of time, or how fast time travels by.  We must be able to effectively utilize the short period of time available to us.  Let's keep ourselves from despairing when those plans and goals that we have plotted for ourselves for the course of the year are not met nor realized.  If we are patient, and if we wait for the good intention of God, all things will be realized according to God's time table.

Carnegie had a painting that he treasured throughout the course of his life.  While working as a travelling salesman, Carnegie saw a painting on the wall of an elderly man's home as he conversed with the man.  It was a painting of a fishing boat stuck in the middle of a sandy beach.  Carnegie found it especially peculiar for the boat, which should be beautifully floating on water, to be stuck on the sandy beach.  An inscription at the bottom of the painting read, "There is a time for a high tide."  

Carnegie, who was deeply moved by this painting, asked the elderly man for the picture; upon receiving it, he cherished it for the rest of his life.  "There is a time for a high tide."  Although the boat is moored lonely on a beach, it will float again once the tide comes in.  Therefore, now is the time to repair the boat while patiently waiting--a time to tighten the bolts and lacquering the panes.  It is a time for preparation.  When the high tide comes, we can sail the safe boat to catch fish in the vast ocean.  When there is no tide, no matter how hard we push the boat, the boat will not budge.  If we do not despair, and concentrate on fixing the net, repairing the boat, and preparing our minds, there will be a time to catch fish with great joy.  It is important not to despair and to wait for that time patiently.

In most mountains, all the good, strong trees are said to have been cut down by the carpenters.  Ugly and curved trees keep the mountain until the end.  That is true.  As we stand in the gateway between the past year and the new year, we must become the ugly, curvy trees that keep the mountain with staying power.  It is a time to bid farewell to the past year.  The dawn is breaking on the new year, a new year that is bound to be full of hope and great anticipation.