Where was the spring? Better yet, where is the summer? Did I miss something here or does it feel like we are approaching autumn again? The world is a wonderful and mysterious place that we cannot even begin to understand. God has given us a playground of mystery and wonder that, as soon as someone claims to have figured it out, something else happens that rises to the level of unexplainable. Just as we are being told that the planet is “suffering from a fever,” we begin to enter a cooling cycle where weather patterns once again change to confound many.
All my children are home from school and a new cycle beings in my household. Sleep patterns change (my children don’t sleep all night during the summer), meal habits change (they usually take it on the run), and there appears to be a new surprise daily. These surprises present themselves in different ways. Coming home from work this morning, it was about 58 degrees outside. The time was 3:00 am. I had just received a phone call from my youngest, Renee’. She wanted me to go swimming with her. And as it is always the cases, I could not say to Daddy’s Little Girl or to my son, Alex. So I found myself playing Marco Polo in my pool which was a chilling 55 degrees (if that) with my two youngest children for over an hour.
And you know what? It was wonderful. Moments like these are the ones that stay with you for the rest of your life. The birds chirping in the distance, the rustle of some unknown animal in the underbrush, a strange sound far away. I looked up into the sky at a blanket of white clouds that covered everything and thought, “God is Good.” Crazy as it was, it was also beautiful.
As Jesus healed the suffering woman and the child, we to need healing and spiritual refreshment. We all need to take time out of our busy lives to actually enjoy who we are and what we are. We need to take time to be with our families and our friends. Everyone needs rest and everyone needs companionship. It is not an option. It is a necessity. Without it, we are not complete. Taking time for ourselves and for those that we love completes us as human beings. God created us with the capacity to love and to express that love. He has given that as a gift to us. When we exercise that gift, we are able to feel God’s presence amongst us. From what we feel, we also know it is the right thing to do. Then come the smiles and the deep sigh of satisfaction. We are able to look around and nod, understanding fully why we work so hard: for our children, for our families, and for our friends. The small moments become bigger and more important.
Summer is not only a season. Summer is a state of being; an opportunity to surrender ourselves more completely to God and to enjoy ourselves. Have fun, take the day, take the week. Do not feel guilty about it. We all deserve it. Regardless if the sun is shining or the rain is pouring down, thank God for all the good things given to us, look around understand:
YES, GOD IS GOOD.
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