It's Officially Summer Time!

Well, it's here. Texas summer. The thunderstorms have been coming and going for the past couple of weeks. The temperatures are comfortably settling in around 90 degrees. The tank tops, cut off shorts, and flip flops are everywhere.

For most people in the South, it is a time for backyard bbq's, afternoons out on the water, and a time to get and stay outside. I did say for most people, didn't I?

Then there are folks like me who find this new heat wave almost unbearable! I am trying to find the thinnest t-shirt I can possibly dig up in my closet (I can't wear a tank because this girl would fry and look like a Louisiana crawfish!). I am guzzling ice water by the gallon it seems. I am longing to live at my parents' house where the pool is only inches from their back door (yes, pretty scary for both of us, I realize!).

I do see the good in summer, too. The children all seem to have this 'glow' about them and are excited to be dismissed from school (even if it is at the detriment of their parents!). We all seem to get a little more motivated to take care of the body that God has entrusted us with (even if our motivation is primarily for getting into the little sundress or taking off that shirt to mow the lawn (I'm referring to the guys only here!)). The animals seem to be playful. Furthermore, God seems to have given us more time with the lingering daylight (although I still seem to just crunch more things onto my 'to-do' list than use it wisely!). It really is beautiful.

So do the promises our Lord has given us. "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." Times are changing. It's evident every time we open the newspaper (or click our mouse if we're the technological savvy individual). There is war, there is famine, there is the highest divorce rate I could ever have imagined as a young adult. There are also cures for diseases that ailed our ancestors. There have been advances in technology. And there are more churches now that our grandparents could have imagined! We know that these things will continue to change, both for the good and the bad. We know that these days will come and go.

I know that in this summer, there will be things that God has in store for my family that I need to continually pray about and prepare for. Even more that I will never know until it happens. I know there will be sunny days and stormy nights. I am confident that we will get through all of them because we have put our trust in the One Who can get us through anything.

I am excited to see what that plan is. I am certain that we will be having our own share of backyard bbq's, time out on the lake, and spending many hot afternoons out in the sun. I am however, hopeful in the book of Daniel because it promises that "He changes times and seasons." Oh please Lord, please let that time be short and the season be chilly!

Love from (hot) Texas,

Jodie