Today, we look at the next in our series based on the 1965 song by The Byrds called Turn! Turn! Turn!  (see full lyrics below).  You will recall that we looked at “a time to plant, and a time to reap that which is planted” the last time.  Today, we look at the theme:

“A time to break down, and a time to build up”

My wife and I enjoy watching those TV shows highlighting the rehabilitation of old houses with the finished product being a masterpiece.  There is an annual home tour in an old St. Louis neighborhood that we also like to do where all the homes illustrate a complete and major rework of the home.  Some of these are absolutely amazing, especially when you see the before and after photos.

To successfully accomplish these home rehabilitation projects, the comes a day (or month) called “demolition day.”  That is the time when much or most of the old, obsolete elements of the home are torn away to make room for the new.  In many cases, the demolition takes the interior of the home all the way down to the inner structure (or studs) of the home.  A complete reconstruction is necessary — wiring, sheetrock, trim, paint, etc. — to make the beautiful finished product that we enjoy seeing.

The same concept is often necessary in our private or work lives.  Taking something “all the way to the studs” is often necessary to rebuild to that beautiful finished product.  Individuals with severe addiction often must become broken and dependent before they can be restored to their true person.  Systems must often be completely removed before new, modern ones can be installed.  The way we work may have to be completely redesigned from a “blank slate” to re-invent a process that is more efficient and more effective than the old one.

The theme “a time to break down, and a time to build up” certainly applies to stages and facets of life and work.  Making the determination as to when something must be demolished is often the challenge, however.  Asking yourself, “What value is in the old?  What is worth keeping?  What can be made better?  Should I just start from scratch?” are the questions that can help make this clearer.  If you find that there is no intrinsic or true value in keeping the old, it may be better to start over.  I have seen cases where trying to retain and fix something old actually costs more and results in a worse product than having started from scratch.  However, you need to determine if the old, like an antique, is worth keeping and restoring.  In homes, this intrinsic value often makes rehabilitation worth it.  However, in the work place, we need to be less emotional and more practical when looking at improvement projects.

So, for today, think about those challenges you face.  Is today a time to begin the demolition needed to rehabilitate something in your life?  Or, is today the day we need to “build up” someone else in our life?  It could be that you can turn a bad day into a good one for someone else simply by saying something encouraging.  Think about it.  Have a terrific day!  Thanks for making this a better world.

Turn! Turn! Turn!

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, a time to reap that which 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 together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, 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 keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate;

A time of war, and a time of peace.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKP4cfU28vM