By Liam Simons '21
Student Advisory Board, Memorial Church
As we begin a new year, I have often been reminded of the lesson “Everything Has Its Time” from Ecclesiastes 3:
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
… 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 throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing…” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-3).
It almost seems that Ecclesiastes saw the pandemic coming: for the past several months, it has been nothing if not “a time to refrain from embracing.” We embraced roommates and friends this past March, not knowing that we would not do so again for quite some time. Many wept in those days, and sadly, many more have wept since. The spaces in which we used to gather have shuttered their doors, and dancing and laughing have become but memories. This has been a time that has tried us, as a nation and as a people, like few times before have.
However, I believe that with the new year will come positive changes. Scientists have developed a number of vaccines against COVID-19 in record time, using the remarkable mRNA technology. These vaccines have proved to be highly effective and safe, offering us a clear path forward.
We are not out the woods yet; in fact, we may now be where the trees are thickest. But we know now that the woods, and this difficult time, will come to an end. God tells us that there is a time for distance, a time for sorrow, and a time for grief. We are now experiencing this time first-hand. But God also promises us times of laughing, dancing, and embracing with our loved ones. The time is coming, and coming soon.
As we begin a new year and a new semester, I urge you to remember the word of God in Ecclesiastes 3. While this may be a time of great difficulty, a time of great joy awaits us, closer now than ever before.
Liam Simons is a rising senior originally from Cambridge, Mass. He lives in Leverett House and studies Social Studies with a focus on economics and American education policy. Liam has taken this year off from school to work in private equity and visit many National Parks.
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