My recent Thoughts for the Day have focused very much on our summer breaks, and on the important part they can play in helping us recharge our batteries for the year ahead.
But life is much bigger, and much longer, than our summer holidays — if we are fortunate enough to have them. For many people, every day brings the need to find small ways of being refreshed as we cope with the pressures and complexities of life, whatever those pressures may be.
In the Song of Songs there is a lovely phrase: “The flowers appear on the earth.” (Song of Songs 2:12). These words herald the coming of spring. The Song of Songs is, of course, about the love between a man and a woman, and this is not the place to discuss its merits or explore it in detail. But I am drawn to those little things that announce spring.
Perhaps those little signs of spring are like the small moments of refreshment that come to us in busy lives. Maybe you find refreshment in the few minutes spent over your morning tea or coffee, in a quick walk between appointments, or in unhurried time spent reading a book or newspaper or watching television.
Such moments may seem small, but they can do a disproportionate amount of good.
So too can the sight of flowers: whether they are growing in carefully tended gardens, as in the picture, or whether they are a single lonely bloom appearing in a dry-stone wall or in the cracks between slabs of concrete. They remind us that life can bloom in arid places, as well as in perfect growing conditions.
We need those reminders as we live our lives: reminders that refreshment can come through small things, and that God’s grace may be found in ordinary moments.
A Prayer
Loving God, we thank you that you give us the big opportunities for rest, relaxation and recuperation, but also the daily signs and spaces that give us the strength we need to live our lives.
Thank you for the moments that help us remain connected to you, and for the small things that remind us of your presence and your grace.
We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.