Thoughts on changing weather!

¹Everything on earth has its own time and its own season.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (Contemporary English Version)

There must surely be a collective sigh of relief as, after what seems like a particularly long winter, the daffodils and crocuses are finally peeping through, temperatures are up a bit and sometimes the sun shines!! It’s amazing how all this can lift one’s spirits and put a whole new perspective on life.

Spring is the favourite season of many people. It’s a time of growth, of hope and of excitement as the days get longer. It’s a time of celebration as we look to the resurrection of Jesus on Easter day. It’s tempting to wish it could always be spring.

Yet of course change is inevitable. Spring becomes summer, summer becomes autumn, and autumn becomes winter. Each season is important and brings with it newness of different kinds. As the earth grows and flourishes, rests and dies, so the cycle of life continues.

This is often mirrored in our lives. There are times when we are growing and changing, a springtime not just in physical ways but in emotional and spiritual ways too. Times, when we feel we are growing closer to God, where his word speaks loudly and clearly to us and where we are changed for good.

Summer speaks of joy and contentment, where we relish all we have, when things are calm and good and positive. Life is good. It often much easier to praise God in the summers of our lives.

Autumn perhaps makes us think of drawing on the resources we have. When life perhaps begins to be a bit harder we can stop and recall all that has gone on before, the times of growth and the times of joy. It’s a time to remember and recount the goodness of God. Many people love autumn; the changes of colour, the crispness in the air, the celebration of God’s provision and faithfulness as we celebrate Harvest.

The season of winter in our lives can be very bleak. Winter is perhaps those times of depression and anxiety, the times when we feel far from God and we wonder where he is. Life can be hard and harsh…. and yet spring is coming and a new time of hope and growth and the wonder of God is near again.

In every season of life God promises to be with us. The seasons may be long, they may be short, they may be good, they may be harsh, but nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ who holds all our times in his hands.

Love~

Rachel.

Despite my long gaps between writing entries on this blog, I have actually discovered that I like writing. This has come as a bit of a surprise to me. When I was at school my English teacher used to chastise me on a regular basis because I used to write the number of words I had written in the margin in order that I could stop the dreaded assignment the moment I had written the required number of words.

This does , of course, show immense laziness on my part that I couldn't be bothered to write any more than was absolutely necessary but also a complete lack of engagement with anything I was doing at school. It wasn't only English but maths ( I was just numerate enough to be able to count the words of my English essays), science, history....you get the picture.

So, to discover this enjoyment of writing is a bit like discovering a lovely birthday present some days after the birthday itself. I've also discovered that I'm not bad at writing. Don't get me wrong. I'm not for one moment suggesting that I am in any way in the running for some great literary prize but what joy to realise that I can string a sentence together and even make a paragraph!!!!

Funny how things work out really. I even enjoy studying now...not everything but stuff that interests me now that never did before. For example, I'm doing some stuff on a story from the gospel of Luke, the Prodigal Son, at the moment and I love it. It's that most amazing story, beautifully written, just the right length to keep you interested, 3 fascinating characters and the most unbelievable twist at the end. It is the perfect story. I've been looking at it for quite a while now and still I've not plumbed its depths. I never felt this way about Shakespeare or algebra and most certainly not about hockey!!!

So, I'm off to do more reading and writing and just for the record this blog is 345 words, or there~abouts!

Love,

Rachel.