Summertime!

Summer in Northeast Ohio is a beautiful thing.  I spent the last few days hanging on the deck, swimming in the pool, and only eating food that comes off the grill.  It's amazing how much my attitude can improve with a change in the weather.  Think about it, we Clevelanders suffer through some terrible winters, months without seeing the sun.  It's no wonder we get gloomy.  When summer finally breaks, it is impossible not to feel rejuvenated.  It's way easier to be in a great mood in shorts and sandals than bundled up to defend against frostbite.

The same is true for us spiritually.  We have seasons where everything is coming up Jesus!  You know what I mean, times when it's easy to pray, when it feels like God is at your side and working everything out in your favor.  Times when you can't wait to go to church, where you don't have to work yourself up to worship, when following the Spirit comes second nature.  Conversely, we have times when we feel like our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, that God has taken a holiday and left us to sort out the mess all by ourselves.  We suffer through seasons where where it is winter in our souls and we feel barren and lifeless. 

The trick to dealing with the difficult seasons in our spiritual life is to remember that they never last.  A wise man once told me that we must never forget in the darkness what we saw in the light. We may have seasons where God seems far away, but we know it isn't true because we have experienced in the past that He doesn't leave us.  Just because the warm feelings are not there, doesn't mean that the truth of who God is and what He does has changed.

My hope is that you are basking in the summertime of His presence.  But if not, just remember that the winters of life always fade away and are replaced with the warmth of the Son.  (Pun intended.  It might be a titch corney, but hey, it's summertime, and I'm feeling it, baby!)

Comments

[Jason]

Man, I enjoy you blogs. Good to hear you are in the summertime! Bless ya man!