Strong Spirits: it's Summer!
But no season is perfect.
Friends-
At last! It’s summer! Almost everyone’s favorite season.
Long days. Vacations. Warm sun. Picnics. Cookouts. Lightning bugs. What’s not to love?
Well, plenty actually. Yard work. Mowing. Mosquitos. Ticks. Sunburn. Excessive heat. Need I go on?
The fact is, no season is perfect. Just like no day is perfect. Like no person is perfect. I might wish it were so, and I might strive to make it so. But on this side of heaven, it just isn’t so. So what does that mean for us?
It could mean lots of frustration when the reality doesn’t match up to our expectations. It could mean we become complainers, seeing only what’s wrong, and forgetting to give thanks and rejoice for the good. It can mean wearing ourselves out trying to get things just right.
Or…
It could mean we remember the lesson to take the bad with the good. To be content. To practice joy no matter the circumstances. To live for God, and trust him fully. In this world, in this life, things will never be perfect. We don’t get “perfect” until we leave this world, and then only if we’ve given ourselves fully to him here.
What do we do in the meantime to cope with all the brokenness and imperfection? Paul has some great advice: “Trust steadily in God; hope unswervingly; love extravagantly. And the best of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Let’s make that our goal this summer!
Have a great one!
Gary Schwerin
Gary Schwerin serves as pastor at Caledonia Congregational Church. He is also the Spiritual Development Minister for the YMCA of the Rock River Valley and Executive Director of Bridge Ministries of Rockford. Prior to launching Bridge Ministries, Gary spent many years in leadership with Young Life.
