When I am in a season of winter, it is easy for me to cast my eyes vertically and focus on the Lord. When I am in spring and God gives me new blessings following a winter, I have a thankful heart and turn that into praise. In fall, when things are beginning to turn, I cast my cares on him. As you may have guessed, I have been in the last season to be mentioned for quite a while, and that is summer.
Summer is a blessing. It is a time when things are just going really well. While having two new babies with a 2 year old may seem insane to many, I have never been happier. My husband is literally my best friend and all time favorite person, I have a son who ASKS for hugs and kisses a hundred times a day, and I have 2 new babies who are incredible. Things are great, and overall they have been for awhile.
What is the problem then, you may ask? In spring, we are happy and praising Jesus in our bathing suits the first time we get a 40 degree day, but in summer we get accustomed to it being beautiful almost every day. We are babies on those few days that it is gross.
Overall, we stop being thankful and trade it in for complacency. The first time that we have a 60 degree day we have a heart attack. We just get too comfortable. This is dangerous, and is something that I have become really aware of recently.
Overall, we stop being thankful and trade it in for complacency. The first time that we have a 60 degree day we have a heart attack. We just get too comfortable. This is dangerous, and is something that I have become really aware of recently.
It all began at church last week. We sang the Phil Wickham song, Beautiful. The bridge goes as follows...
When we arrive at eternity's shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we'll sing
Your beautiful
Singing that verse made me super excited about eternity and shifted my gaze off of the horizontal. It made me realize that is where I have been hanging out lately. I have been in the word and praying, but I have not been looking up. That is not good for many reasons, but here are the biggest 2.
1) I have been focusing on good things over the best thing. I have been focusing on the gift over the giver of all good things. In doing so, I have been depriving my family of my best. I am never a better wife or mother than when I am focused on God and daily submitting to and placing Jesus first.
2) It is extremely dangerous for when this season ends. Summer always goes too fast. Everyone says it... "You will blink, and your kids will be grown up and gone." I am sure that the days of singing songs before bedtime, kissing owies, laughs whenever we try to be funny, and all of the random snuggles and hugs are extremely numbered.
What happens if my focus is horizontal and this ends? I will crumble. We have all seen this and/or experienced this ourselves. I love Joel to death, but I also love being a mom of sweet boys. When they leave the house and start their own lives and families, that will be challenging, but if the here and now is all that I have been focusing on, it will be crushing. If I am focused on and rooted to my firm foundation and rock, I am told that I am victorious and a conqueror. I have an awareness that God works all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 12:28). Not because of myself, but through GRACE by a loving and perfect God.
If I shift my gaze towards heaven, nothing can shake me, because heaven is going to be awesome. Death will be a memory and tears will be no more. I will be with Jesus. That thought can get us through any season, and we cannot forget this truth in summer.
To hammer it home even more, I was reading Psalms tonight and read this in Psalm 17:13-14...
Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O LORD,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
You fill their womb with treasure;
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.
Let's leave a legacy through our kids, BUT don't let that be the end. Leave a legacy of someone who follows Jesus and is fervent for him. Don't let these sweet moments of this world be your portion. Don't get complacent in summer, if that is your current season. Take notice of the beauty and then turn your gaze up and turn it into praise. Only then can we go from enjoying the good things, to enjoying the BEST things, and only then can we be prepared for the Autumns and Winters to come.
