“Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.”
As someone who studied English at university, living in the same country which inspired many of William Shakespeare’s history plays is an exciting privilege. Living in Yorkshire, so near to York, and seeing the places that people have written about for hundreds of years makes history come alive.
I love this quote because it sheds a new light on the word ‘discontent.’ Christians talk a lot about contentment. This has to do with the fact that we are taught to be grateful and not to complain—God is in control and we have a sure hope, we tell each other. While all of that is true, right, and good, there is a certain element of ‘discontentment’ that I have come to feel about ministry and my own walk with the Lord. When Shakespeare wrote the lines above, I’m fairly certain he wasn’t thinking about youth work, but allow me to apply a loose interpretation.
For those of us who have been working in the Tees Valley since last winter, summer is an exhilarating time. Most of us got to take some time off, visit family back in the States, or travel. The speaker in the quote above contrasts the glory of summer to the looming gloom of winter and references the yearly cycle of changing seasons—summer was so glorious because it casts off the previous winter’s greyness. But all that is about to end because summer is coming to a close… but, the cycle will begin again and winter will eventually lead to summer.
Now is the winter of OUR discontent here in the Tees Valley. For those of us who are returners, we enjoyed time off and now we’re back into the swing of full-time ministry. Now is the time for us to look around our communities and say that we are not content with the way things are. We are not satisfied with the current state of things. And just like the dark clouds were banished in the summer in the play, we are charging into the darkness. By this time next year, the cycle will have repeated itself again, and we want to see a noticeable change. We are not content with the spirit of negativity that hovers over this area. We are not content to watch society give up on ‘the youth of today’ when we are as much a part of this generation as the kids we seek to reach. We will love instead of shake our heads in judgement and despair; we will partner with those who have offered up their lives to educate and lead young people. Until we see this change, we will not be content.
Will you partner with us in bringing the Gospel to the Northeast of England?
About the Author
SARAH TIPTON
Austin, TX | 25
PROJECT: Eston
Sarah attended the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, studied English education, and graduated in December 2014. She loves coffee, chocolate, meeting new people, and having deep conversations. She came to England in January 2015 and loves working with kids of all ages.
