The dog days of summer are here. According to The Farmer’s Almanac, the phrase“Dog Days” traditionally refers to a period of particularly hot and humid weather occurring during the summer months of July and August in the Northern Hemisphere. It has certainly been hot and humid the past few weeks where I live!
Now that August has arrived, I feel almost ready to ramp up for Fall. Summer is rapidly ending and Labor Day (the unofficial end to summer) is rapidly approaching! Where did the time go? Did I spend my time wisely? How much time got frittered away? (Is ‘frittering’ even ok?) Did I rest and rejuvenate? Did I seek the Lord for the ‘what next’?
God set time aside for rest even at the creation of the world. He RESTED on the seventh day of creation. What did he do while he was resting? “On the seventh day - with the canvas of the cosmos completed - God paused from his labor and rested. Thus God blessed day seven and made it special - an open time for pause and restoration, a sacred zone of Sabbath-keeping, because God rested from all the work he had done in creation that day (Gen 2:1-3).
From the beginning of time, the Eternal God had a plan for his creation. Seasons change and depending on your part of the world, you can see the seasons change when leaves drop from trees, when flowers begin to bloom, and when animals begin storing up for winter. Creation responds to how God has designed it. As his special creation, we too respond to seasonal changes. How we choose to respond matters.
In today’s world sometimes ‘rest’ is viewed with disdain. But if we are wise, we recognize the great value in the various seasons, or stages, of life and that ‘rest’ is one of those seasons. A season can be any length of time. It might be a brief pause, like a day, or an extended period of time, like months or even years. When we seek to discover more of God in our lives through prayer and the study of the scriptures, we find that God has promised to lead and guide us in the way we should go. Check out Psalm 32:8; 143:8 and Isaiah 48:17!
The end of summer also brings thoughts of what is to come. Schools will be opening soon. Teachers are preparing their classrooms. Vacations are mostly done and pictures hold fond memories. Parents are preparing their children for the inevitable first day of school!
Some folks may feel like none of this matters because the days all blend together and often scratch their heads to remember what day it is! But we see all around us that a time of change is coming. So now is the time to prepare. After the season of rest, fun activities, vacations, eating lots of watermelon, ice cream and other seasonal summer decadent delicacies, it’s time to think about what is to come. And, if you are like me, you knew about mid-July that this time was the slippery-slope time that slams us into the fall!
I am reminded of an old song that said, “Signs of the times are everywhere! There’s a brand-new excitement in the air!” So let us not be saddened by the end of ‘summer', but be exhilarated by the future, both the immediate and the unknown.
This is a metaphor for not just the beginning of a new season, but it is a biblical reminder that the signs of the times are rapidly approaching. Our world is changing in ways that are hard to understand sometimes. But take heart, as these things too are part of God’s plan for the world. The signs and symbols that God has given to us through his creation are significant because his word tells us to prepare and be ready. Now is the time for preparation and a renewed focus toward what God has promised. The end of that old song refers to scripture in the last climatic phrase, “lift up your head! Your redemption draweth nigh!”
Whether you are lamenting the end of your summer, remember that it was a good season! focus on the positive and look forward, rejoice even, that the future belongs to the LORD.
Shalom!
P.S. The fall feasts will soon be here! As they get closer I feel the anticipation mounting! Will you be ready to celebrate?
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