“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: … a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4
On April 30, 1975, the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese Army, effectively ending the Vietnam War.
My family was impacted by this when a young Vietnamese man showed up at our door looking for housing. He had just graduated from college and was starting a job near our home. We invited him into our lives. It turned out he was one of nine children, five of whom left Saigon to be educated. His parents and four other siblings stayed behind to face the Vietnam War. While trying to escape, they were caught and imprisoned. Seven long years of suffering would pass before they could leave their native land. Despite the trauma, the whole family went on to thrive in their rebuilt lives.
Gripping stories like these can make our own difficulties seem trivial. But the circumstances the Lord brings to us are not insignificant to Him. The Bible says we’ll have times of weeping and of rejoicing. We trust Him with it all because the greatest tragedy of His death on the cross brought us the greatest triumph: salvation.
My family was impacted by this when a young Vietnamese man showed up at our door looking for housing. He had just graduated from college and was starting a job near our home. We invited him into our lives. It turned out he was one of nine children, five of whom left Saigon to be educated. His parents and four other siblings stayed behind to face the Vietnam War. While trying to escape, they were caught and imprisoned. Seven long years of suffering would pass before they could leave their native land. Despite the trauma, the whole family went on to thrive in their rebuilt lives.
Gripping stories like these can make our own difficulties seem trivial. But the circumstances the Lord brings to us are not insignificant to Him. The Bible says we’ll have times of weeping and of rejoicing. We trust Him with it all because the greatest tragedy of His death on the cross brought us the greatest triumph: salvation.
Scripture Focus
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Insight
“But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’My times are in your hands.” (Psalm 31:14-15)
Bible In A Year
- Isaiah 6-8
- Psalm 75
- John 16
