Everybody knows that children grow up ever quicker as we get older. You only have to turn round and they have grown another couple of inches, or even feet . . . (apologies for those who use metric measurements!) You visit a baby one month and the next she's sitting up. Little boys seem to become gangly teenagers overnight . . . and is it possible that my four year old grandson is starting school in September? Surely not!
In the field opposite where I live the farmer is growing wheat. It's been a source of delight, having been a townie all my life, to watch the wheat grow from short stubby leaves to a beautiful crop of waving corn. When we first moved in, in March, we didn't even know if it was wheat! Then when the farmer planted leeks in the field next to it (we think its leeks!), it was a thrill to see the first tiny shoots popping up through the soil on what had been a completely bare field - these too are now getting higher and stronger with every passing day.
It reminds me how quickly time flies, and while we (or the farmer in this case!) sows the seeds and cares for them, it is the Lord who grants the increase. Both have a job to do.
It will be harvest soon - we're looking forward to watching the combine harvester! We too must plant and sow and care, while we can - who knows but that God will grant an increase, ready for the harvest?
John Wesley famously said:
