There’s a time for every season

David Jones wonders whether there is something to learn from these unsettling times

HIGH rise temperatures welcomed ‘flaming’ June as summer really begins. This year, of course, is different with beaches and beauty spots mainly no-go areas.

However, despite the warnings and restrictions the whole concept of social distancing has seemed lost to some as in England many such places were like any other sunny weekend with crowds just flocking regardless.

Stricter regulations in the rest of the UK seems to have held but there have been those who have risked their own health and that of others by flouting the rules.

Across the pond America has seen the greatest unrest for generations following the tragic death of

George Floyd. The video of his agony and death are horrendous to watch and with Mr Trump having to be shielded in the White House bunker from protesters too close for comfort, you’ve got to ask the question where will this end? Protest is totally justified but once scenes of violence, looting and wanton destruction takes over it will always be counterproductive and downright wrong. It seems then that while the weather and calendar tell us it’s summer we can be forgiven for not feeling very ‘summery’ at the moment.

Is there something to learn from these unsettling times? In 1918 the Spanish flu saw a worldwide loss of over 500 million lives. Our parents and grandparents endured the hardship and turmoil of two world wars that again saw tremendous loss of life.

These were seasons of life which came and went and while there was great tragedy there was always a hope of better days to come and confidence in an unseen future which eventually came to be.

The Bible tells us that there’s a time for every season under heaven and there’s a ring of truth when we look back to human experience and history.

Pandemics, conflict and war are not of God they are of human origin often born of injustice and the evils of racism which are totally contrary to God’s will and purpose.

Arrogance and the misuse of God’s intentions in creation have brought us to the edge of catastrophe and yet we have deep within us the God given gift of hope that eventually good will prevail.

Summer is here, the sun is shining and God is unchanging in his protective grace. A well proven proverb says ‘Hope springs eternal in the human breast’ and I’d say a big ‘Amen’ to that!