The Summer Season

by Heather Tietz

[Jesus said] “Now from the fig tree, learn this parable. When the branch has now become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near; even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that it is near, at the doors.“

Mark 13:28-29

Jesus is the eternal optimist. After all, He knows the future. He knows it all ultimately ends well. Good is preserved. God wins.

In this chapter Jesus pulls up the shade on the disciples’ futures, and then on what appears to be the end of history. It is perhaps one of the more frightening passages in Scripture. However, Jesus describes the future with a hopeful metaphor, summer.

All the hardships laying ahead are like summer time, like a season of tremendous sun, heavy rain, and ultimately, great growth. Plants can’t skip the summer. The season must come and stretch them into that which they were designed to be.

God knows that we can deceive ourselves as to where our faith really is. A student can’t accurately know his own knowledge without a test. Who we really are, what we truly believe, is always evidenced in turmoil. Good and bad, the future must come. God’s children must grow.

Are you experiencing a summer season in your life? Are you fearful one is coming? Keep embracing God in prayer. Trust Him to grow your spirit strong, healthy and beautiful.

With Jesus, everything will end well.

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28