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Pastor’s Corner Pastor Tim Ayers, pastor, Peace United Church of Christ Gladbrook, Iowa

“THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS”


“This too shall pass.” I have been saying that phrase a lot lately. The pandemic has completely upturned my life as it has yours. Add to that my recent uprooting from Keokuk, IA and move to Gladbrook and you have a bonafide upturned, uprooted life. That’s why that phrase has become part of my daily conversations. Truly, this, too, shall pass. Being a writer I tend to examine the background of words and phrases. It is one of those fun things I do to keep me sane (besides watching reruns of the Andy Griffith Show.) I found two stories that claim they are the historical roots of “this too shall pass.” The first deals with King Solomon of the Bible. King Solomon was trying to humble his wisest servant so he asked him to perform a seemingly impossible task: to find something that did not exist. He requested a magic ring–one that, if a sad man wore it, he would become happy and if a happy man wore it, he would become sad. The servant took the challenge, searched high and low in the land, but on the night before he was supposed to report back to the King, he still had nothing. Then the idea came to him: He went to the local jeweler and had 3 words inscribed on a plain gold ring:  Gam ze ya’avor. Or as we say in English, “This, too, shall pass.” King Solomon was thrilled with the phrase and the ring. It is said that he never too it off. It reminded him that when times were bad that soon that time would pass and better days were around the corner. When his spirits were high, it cautioned him that the tables could turn at any time. Therefore, stop and smell the roses. Enjoy it and quit looking over your shoulder for something bad to happen. People could hear him saying to himself, “This, too, shall pass.” I also read on the internet (so you know it is true), that Ghengis Khan asked his philosophers to come up with a phrase that was unchangeable. What they decided upon was “this, too, shall pass.” No matter what situation you are in and no matter if it is good or bad, time will change it. It all passes away with the tick-tock on every clock. Abraham Lincoln often used the phrase in his speeches to challenge and inspire his listeners. The phrase is timeless and it is rich with meaning. Most people don’t use it when they are in a “good place.” Yet, the words can remind us to enjoy life while it is going well. A reminder that I need daily. I am living in a fantastic little town, surrounded by good people and ministering in a loving, caring and thriving body of Christ. Life is good. I need to be reminded to enjoy it. On the other hand, this is a time of uncertainty, disease, sickness and death. Like the World Wars, like the scourge of polio, like the depressions in the past, this, too, shall pass. It was the Apostle Paul who said in Phillipians 3:14, “Forgetting what is behind  and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on  toward the goal to win the prize  for which God has called  me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Yes, the pandemic will pass but in the meantime I need to keep my eye on the prize. What is the prize? Very simply, it is becoming a full-devoted follower of Christ. That takes some work. Are you using this lockdown time to get closer to God. I’m sure you’re praying more but are you growing more? Are you using the resources that many different churches are posting online? Peace Church posts a recorded version of our service, on line on Facebook and on our new website, findpeaceatpeace.org. This way you can choose your own time to watch and “have church.” We will continue this in the future for those still concerned about social contacts and those who can’t get out. Remember, this, too, shall pass. We will be back to normal or at least back to our new normal.