"In Season and Out of Season"

Funny that Rob posted about seasons, because yesterday I was remembering a discussion about 2 Tim 4:2 "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season".

We weren't really sure what it meant but reflected on how sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's hard - sometimes you feel happy and joyful and telling others about God is natural. Sometimes you just feel fed up, let down, and not even sure why you believe it. (Or at least I do, anyway!)

I had a chat with a friend yesterday who was saying how tired he was feeling - I got the impression he was struggling. I went off to eat pancakes, and he went off to Christian Union. When I got in later that night, my housemate approached me with a grin and said, "There's something on your pillow"...

...It was a cheeky note from my friend. "How was he here?" I said, bewildered. He didn't know where I live and as far as I knew my housemate didn't know him.

It turned out she'd had a row with her friend, had been crying and my friend had seen her and asked if she was all right. They'd talked and eventually discovered that they both knew me. As she told me this story, she seemed both amused and rather stunned that my friend had seemingly sprung out of nowhere to help her.

I was stunned too, because I'd have no idea what to do if I saw someone I didn't know crying... In fact, even if I saw my housemate crying I probably wouldn't know what to do. And yet he was struggling and tired but still took the time to help her?

Lent is associated with personal sacrifice - often we think it's about giving up chocolate or smoking or meat. Sometimes I think I'd rather give up chocolate than worry about helping people in need or risk embarrassing myself. But I guess that love isn't always easy :)