I am so over summer! By early May, Shreveport had already reached record high temperatures that go all the way back to the 1800s. I know lots of people who love summertime, but I am not of their tribe. Now don’t get me wrong, I like a sunny day at the lake as much as the next person. I enjoy the beach as long as there’s a steady breeze and I have a comfy chair under the umbrella.
Call me crazy, but I prefer to sweat on purpose—when I am working out at the gym and dressed appropriately—not walking to the mailbox in my jeans and silk blouse. There’s simply no disguising silky pit stains. We just booked a vacation rental in Colorado where many of the houses don’t even have air conditioning because of the mild climate. But here in Louisiana, our seat coolers blow cold air on our butts so we won’t be seen wearing the classic booty ring. This should not be!
Seriously, this time of year makes me ache for the first signs of Autumn. I long to sit on the patio with a good book and a cup of coffee, a fire in the pit to chase away any chill in the air. This is what dreams are made of. But nothing will happen on the patio for quite a while longer, for there’s still some sizzle left in the summer around these parts. So I will keep waiting, longing, dreaming of a month like November—when leaves begin to change color and fall off the trees. Although I can hardly fathom it on this blistery day in mid-July, I know that better days are coming. It happens every single year—no matter how slow it may seem—Fall arrives eventually.
But until then, I’ll make the most of my summer life—anticipating the glory days ahead. I may prefer indoor attractions to outdoor festivals, but I will endure the heat in order to enjoy the goodness of each new day. You see, I can thrive in the summer and long for the winter at the same time. But I’m not really speaking about the weather anymore. This is how I want to journey toward heaven.
I want to appreciate each new day in this broken world as a divine gift. Though tears often fall like sweat from my weary soul, there is much happiness to glean amidst the chaff of this age. I want to enjoy the gift of life, but delight in the Giver above all else. I want to wring the last ounce of joy from every moment I am granted on this planet, but with my eyes fixed on the eastern sky.
Oh God, may I never be satisfied with lesser joys that would anchor my heart to this temporal earth. In my ache for something better, cause me to live in the moment, but with a view to eternity.
“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21