See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. – Song of Songs 2:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (April 26, 2013): Song of Songs 2

George Herbert, the Welsh born English poet and Anglican priest of the 17^th Century wrote that “every mile is two in winter.” I have to admit that I totally understand the thought. There is so much that just seems to take longer during the winter. We are in the early days of spring where I live, but there is still a lot of snow on the ground. Now, there is a lot less snow on the ground than there was last week or the week before. Snow is shrinking at an incredible rate, but the fact that we still have snow on the ground is a testimony to how much snow we have had. And there have been days when I have showed up at my office with a full slate of work that needed to be completed, but I had to also a lot of snow that needed to be moved. And so slowly my days start to adjust themselves – and every task seemed to take longer because of the snow.

The reality is that winter seems to be a period of dormancy and waiting. The only thing that grows in the northern areas of the world are the piles of snow. And in areas where there is no snow, often it seems to be constant rain. In either situation, the world seems to just lie in waiting for the return of the warmth and sun – and the growth.

But this conversation between the two lovers was not about a sudden change in the weather. As the words “the winter is past” is spoken, the meaning behind the words is simply that the time of waiting has ended. Again, it is a very sacred and human love between two people that forms the basic meaning behind the love song – and now love has come, it has gone through a period of dormancy and waiting – but now all of that is over. The time is here and now. Some of argued that this passage is a prayer for the fertility of the wife, that she will be ready to produce children for the king now in this season of her life. And this may be true, but we cannot lose sight of the fact that it is also simply about the growth of love.

The truth is that every couple that decides to keep themselves pure until after the wedding day understands this incredible time of waiting. And they also understand the incredible joy when they come to the point where they can say to each other that the winter is past – and the time for love to take its next step in the spring of our lives is here. And they know the unbelievable beauty of that moment in their lives. 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 3