I’ve recently been feeling like a leaf blowing in the wind. My life was in a good rhythm; we had a good routine down and plans for the future. We were still attached to the tree, if you will. Suddenly, everything changed and I’m at the mercy of God’s plan, not my own. But, then I have to ask myself, aren’t I supposed to be following God’s plan and not creating my own?
Turning to Music
The imagery of a leaf blowing in the wind reminded me of the song, Dust in the Wind by Kansas. I researched (ok, I googled) the meaning behind it and found some bible verses that can relate to the song. This led me to Ecclesiastes chapter 3. But before I found verse 20, “Both were made from the dust, and to the dust they both return” (Ecclesiastes 3:20) which is also found in the Book of Genesis 3:19 “For you are dust and to dust you shall return,” I read Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8:
“There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Basically, it states that life is filled with various seasons and lessons. When I look at the explanation listed in the Our Sunday Visitor NAB bible footnotes, it says,
“The fourteen pairs of opposites describe various human activities. The poem affirms that God has determined the appropriate moment or “time” for each. Human beings cannot know that moment; further, the wider course of events and purposes fixed by God are beyond them as well.”
Our Sunday Visitor NAB Bible pg. 995
Comparing the Two
This verse reminded me of the song, Turn! Turn! Turn! by The Byrds.
I think it is very interesting to compare these two songs. Dust in The Wind by Kansas focuses more on the Memento Mori aspect of our faith, reminding us that death is inevitable. Turn! Turn! Turn! by The Byrds is based off of the above verse, and portrays a message of intentionality and focuses on how our life is constantly changing. God intentionally created us and a path for each of us. We are made from nothing but it doesn’t mean we are nothing. We are His creations designed to be in Heaven with Him. Our life on Earth, while temporary, still has the ability to impact those around us. So while our physical bodies will become dust one day, until we are reunited with them at the end of days, we are more than just “dust;” our souls will *hopefully* move on to heaven.
All Saints & All Souls Day
These two songs are great to pair together when celebrating All Saints and All Souls Day. One reminds us of our death, and can also remind us of those who have gone before us. The other, shows how God can intentionally line our path for us, and if we choose to follow and be humble enough to say, Yes God, like all the saints before us, then we too will find ourselves in Heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is all about having faith and trust in God’s plan for us. Something that I need to do right now.
God does answer prayers, and this event that caused me to feel like a leaf at the mercy of the wind is an answered prayer. It’s just coming at an unexpected time and in a different way than what I pictured. I can also take a deep breath and realize that God’s timing is intentional. If He answered this prayer now then it must be time and I have to trust Him.
I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day. We will be celebrating a little extra, since we have 2 birthdays as well (Theresa is our Halloween baby and Shiloh is our All Saints Day baby).
