Well, I’ve gone full summer mode and have been swimming, sitting in the shade, and eating delicious food with people I love at a dizzying rate. It’s really been at the expense of some work that I was hoping to have done by now. But when the warm air is blowing over your bare arms and the sunlight is filtering gently through the leaves overhead, it’s terribly hard to go back inside and do computery things. On top of that, I’m feeling quite nostalgic this year. My kids are at that fun age where they can do more things, and you don’t have to watch them every second lest they perish. And the air is so clear and warm.
I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but I’ve developed a bit of anxiety about summer- particularly about the fact that it may need to be renamed entirely as “fire season.”
Perhaps you’ve heard of the seasons of Oregon:
Winter
Fool’s Spring
Second Winter
Spring of Deception
Third Winter
Mud Season
Actual Spring
Summer
False Fall
Second Summer (1 week)
Actual Fall
Let me tell you, with all the seasons on that list that make it hard to get outside, it would be a real shame to take out Summer and replace it with Fire Season.
Sometimes in the midst of the enjoyment, I feel a tinge of anxiety about the inevitable time when smoke will cloud the sky again. This simple sweetness of summer could disappear in a moment. So how do I fully appreciate the beauty of this gift of God? How do I keep the bitterness of fear out of this moment of happiness?
I think it has to do with abiding- living life fully aware that God is with us and we are with God. When we feel that we can trust God to abide with us through the hard times that will surely come, it brings freedom to savor the good times as well. Paul said, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13).
I don’t have to deny the likelihood that there will be wildfires before fall. But they are not burning now. Here and now, the sky is clear. The water is refreshing. The popsicles are cold and drippy. Just as it would be fitting to feel grief and lament in the face of loss, it is also fitting to feel joy in the face of abundance. So yes, I will feel disappointed when the smoke comes. But God will be there.
Today, I feel happy, and God is here.
(Sidenote: While I am exploring my feelings around this lighthearted if sincere subject, know that I am aware that others may be going through things much more burdensome and perilous. I fully believe that God is faithful to abide with us through all things, large or small, but I want to acknowledge the difficulty of trusting God through such times, and do not intend to diminish this.)
Romans 12:15
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.”
Matthew 6:31-34
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.”
James 1:17
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Psalm 145:17-19
“The Lord is righteous in all his ways
And loving toward all he has made.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
To all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
He hears their cry and saves them.”
About the Author
Kayla is is 37. She has been married to her husband, Joel, for 17 years and she homeschools their two energetic boys. She loves stories, being out in nature, meeting interesting people, and seeing others grow in their freedom in Christ.