Day 13 - Seasons

I drove past a field today which contained some of the teeniest weeniest lambs I have ever seen.  They cant have been more than a day old.  They were still smooth and wobbly and so very small.  They made me smile.  In fact, I defy anyone not to smile when they see a lamb.  They are just so adorable.  

The daffodils are out.  It is springtime  Yay!!

Ive been thinking today about seasons.  Living in the UK I am so fortunate to be able to experience four seasons with their distinct characteristics.  Not everyone on planet earth gets to experience seasons.  Perhaps they might have a wet and a dry season.  Or a winter and a slightly less harsh winter.  But here in the UK we have such distinct signs that one season is over and another is here .   The lambs are some of the first signs that the winter is coming to an end.  Then we get the snowdrops, the crocuses and the daffodils.  More lambs come in February and March and by April buds are starting to appear on the trees.  What has been dull and lifeless for several months suddenly starts to burst into life again.   The whole of creation acting out the story of renewal and re-birth which Easter is all about.

The Bible talks about seasons.  The most famous verse is probably this one in Ecclesiastes  ( So good they even wrote a song about it 😊)  Of course it isnt really referring to times of the year but rather to times of our lives.  But it implies that there is a beginning and an end to all these times.  And that there are signs we can read in order to help us know when a season is coming upon us and when it is ready to depart.   When it is time to be born we know about it because we have had nine months of pregnancy and then labour pains to alert us to the fact.  When it is time to build we draw up plans and gather resources, when its a season of planting we till the earth and buy in seed.   Jesus tells the Pharisees that they can read the seasons of the year but they cant read the ' signs of the times' in the spiritual realm.  He rebuked them for not being able to see the signs which were right in front of their noses that the Kingdom of God had come among them - Jesus Himself was talking to them!!!   

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them,[a] “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.               ( Matthew 16 1-3)

I want to be someone who can interpret the signs of the times.   I want to know what it means when Donald Trump is elected president.  I want to know what God is saying through world events and through local happenings.   I want to be ready for His return and wise in the run up to it.  I want to have oil in my lamp and coins in my purse.   It is easy to see the leaves on the trees and know that spring is here but I want to be able to smell the spiritual change in the season so that I can say to those who are struggling....