Life is filled with opposite! It seems obvious that there are times that require healing, but a time to kill? Of course, before you do something foolish, we should take note that the writer did not say, “A time to commit murder . . .” This was written to an agrarian society. People raised animals and offered sacrifices to God at the temple. They were used to killing livestock.
Nevertheless, killing animals was certainly not as pleasant as helping them to be born! Newness is exciting. Bringing something to an end is much more sobering. Yet both are necessary for a healthy life.
Beginning new programs at work or at church can be exhilarating. Bringing them to a close does not possess the same charm. People are generally glad when something is born. There are inevitable questions when something is put to death.
There are also times to break things down, and other times to build them up. Again, some activities are more enjoyable, and more widely praised, than others. As a result, we tend to drift toward those actions that we enjoy and avoid activities we find unpleasant. Yet we can’t afford to be one-dimensional leaders. We must be prepared to do whatever our particular season calls.