The First Day of Summer

June 21^st marks the first day of summer.  In Northwest Montana, that not only means that the sun rises at 5:36am and sets at 9:42pm, but it means that winter is technically behind us.  It also means that winter is right around the corner.  Just a week ago I heard someone say, “In about 8 weeks the temperatures will begin dropping at night.”  Now I am not ready to hear that right now, but I do understand, that when the nighttime temperatures start dropping, well, winter is right around the corner.

We have seen the white stuff come down in varying amounts in every month of the year, and in the 9 ½ years of living here I believe that the following is still true – 9 months of winter and 3 months of relatives.

I do not know if summer is really here, and I do not know that I am ready for dropping temperatures in 8 weeks.  What I do know is that God is good, God is on the throne, God loves me and God has a plan.  I also know that He works all things for the good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  It is comforting to know these truths and that God’s will is perfect and right and reasonable.  I also know that God wants us to grow.

Summer is not just a time of increasing temperatures, no school and vacations, but it is a time of growth.  We see it in God’s creation and should be witnessing forward progress in our lives as well.  One area we can all grow in has to do with the fear of man. All too often we exchange God’s approval and seeking what God thinks for the temporal and transient opinion of others.  This is such a snare and rip-off just as Proverbs 29:25 states, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.”

Oswald Chambers said, “When you fear God, you fear nothing else…if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”  May we take that to heart, trusting in the Lord and seeking the approval of God this summer and in the seasons to come.

PD