The dog days of summer are here! Many people I know spend the rest of the year looking forward to this time of year. Some look forward to spending time at the beach, some in the mountains. Still, others look forward to being home tending a garden or spending relaxing evenings in the backyard. Fishing, camping, spending warm evenings star gazing, and riding bicycles, are all things we look forward to doing in our glorious summers. Outdoor festivals and concerts, baseball games at the local stadium, and auto racing at the local tracks, are fully back this summer. Typically, we need to get all those activities in between Memorial Day and Labor Day because after the Fair, after Labor Day, well, we get ready for the next season: football. Or, as some call it, autumn. And of course, after that…we won’t talk about that now. But it is coming!
Warm sunshine and cool breezes are certainly gifts from God. All of the seasons, in their variety of beauty and temperature swings, are gifts from God. However, when scraping ice off of windshields in January or sweating profusely in August, we may not see the hand of God delivering a gift. In whatever way we view them, we cannot control the comings and goings of the seasons. And even though we prefer one season over another, we cannot choose to accept or refuse.
What we can choose is how we will respond to the gifts He offers. Not only the gift of summer but all of the gifts we are offered. The Bible tells us that all good gifts come from God. As we enjoy the many activities that the summer offers that we can participate in, let’s remember to give thanks for the ability, opportunity, and the choice to enjoy the many gifts. So let’s all choose to enjoy the summer. And give thanks.
GreifShare and DivorceCare Loss of a loved one, whatever the cause of the loss, is a trauma that can impact your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Many people that have endured the pain of divorce or have lost a loved one often feel loneliness or pain during every season, but especially during the holiday season. We will be offering help to those folks in the form of Divorce Care (meeting Sunday evenings from 6-8 beginning 9/11) and Grief Share (meeting Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 beginning 9/15). Both of these programs are designed to help people work through the various difficulties involved in overcoming loss. Having had personal experience with the Divorce Care program I can attest to the benefits of attending. Please pray that the Lord will direct those to us that can benefit from the sessions.