We’ve kind of had a break from the heat of Summer with the cooler temperatures and rains. That’s a true blessing here in the middle of July.
I started thinking about the heat of Summer and all the Summer’s past. Even though I’ve lived in Texas my entire life, I have never liked the heat of Summer. Its oppressive, its draining, it just is not my favorite kind of weather. I like sunny days, I like warm days, but Texas heat is on another level. As a matter of fact, I don’t like to take vacations in the Summer, I much prefer Fall and late Winter/early Spring.
But as I look back on the Summer’s of my youth I can remember the delicious feeling of slipping into the cool waters of the spring fed pool in New Braunfels, the cooling waters of Barton’s Spring in Austin, and even the frigid waters of the Frio River at Garner State Park. All of these were wonderful days because of the juxtaposition of the heat of the day against the coolness of the water. It made for wonderful afternoons.
I think where I’m going with this is we each wrestle with the good and bad things we have to experience in life. No life is perfect. No situation is perfect. Whatever comes our way, we have to accept the good and the bad. Its like parceling out the pros and cons of something. There is always up sides and down sides to everything in life.
The only place I know the computation of pros and cons, pluses and minuses, up sides and down sides, doesn’t really add up, is in our relationship with God. Our relationship with God only comes with pros, pluses, up sides. We should take that in for a moment, and just rest in that thought…………communing with God, following God’s lead, sharing in God’s work, all of it leads us to the place of being without any negatives. Now, I’m not saying those who follow God will never experience, harsh realities. The reality of living in and through this world is we will have difficulties that will try us.
What I am saying is, when we live our life in the light of God, the heat of adversity will not consume us. The oppressive nature of Summer cannot overcome us. The psalmist in Psalm 121:5 tells us “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.”
When I think back on Summer’s past, yes they were hot as hades, and I tried my best to stay in the shade as much as possible. But I also knew, there were times when the heat was going to have to be endured. Enduring the heat didn’t mean I couldn’t stop and rest, stop and seek shade, stop for a cool drink of water. I need to relish the totality of life, and realize God is with me through it all. There’s not one hot day I’m unable to countenance, because the God who made the heat, the wind, the rain, the cold, the ice, the snow, that same God made me. And God made all of it for me to enjoy. I may not bask in the Summer sun as some of my friends who love to tan do. But I appreciate the heat to make me truly grateful for the cool.
On Monday I watched it pour down rain, and on Tuesday the sun came forth and dried it all up. I guess there really isn’t a down side when you consider how God made the seasons for us to experience the totality of God’s marvelous creation.
May God make us all truly grateful for each season, each passing day, each moment. Tomorrow isn’t promised to us, so let us be grateful for today and every day.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom