This time of year is always sort of bittersweet for me. August and September are the most beautiful months in our part of the world, and there is still some time before Summer is over. Our Fall schedule of home-schooling, Co-op, Physical Education at the YMCA, and various church activities doesn’t usually start until the middle of September, and so we have a few weeks left to cherish.
But already the seasons are turning, and the days are shorter. It is now dark at 9 pm, and today roughly marks the 1/3 point from the summer to the winter solstice. “Where did Summer go?” I ask myself plaintively.
A visit to the water is always a treat.
I feverishly try to recount the sunny days in my head. True, we’ve had some hot weather, and quite a bit of sunshine, but there’s been a fair bit of rain mixed in, too. This week we’ve had cool temperatures, clouds and rain; it feels like Fall.
It is hard not to panic. “Wait!” Kathy and I cry. “We didn’t get our fair share of golden warmth! Kathy can’t face another gloomy Seattle winter without storing up some heat!” Indeed, most of my tomatoes haven’t even ripened, a sure barometer of an insufficiently-warm summer (or possibly a deficient gardener).
I take a deep breath, and reflect.
Silly Daddy, it’s okay.
One of the things I like best about being adopted into God’s family and a follower of Christ is that I don’t have to worry about being ‘out of time’. To the extent that I submit myself to the will of Jesus, I am never too late and never too early, I never miss an opportunity and I can always trust that everything will be done in its proper time. I am, after all, immortal, thanks to the gift of eternal life through faith in God’s Son.
What boy doesn’t love finding (and throwing) the perfect rock?
Of course, I don’t always subordinate myself to the will of my God, which is another problem altogether.
Still, I have a master who knows when the smallest sparrow falls, and He loves me and cares about every detail of my life. If He allows this Summer to pass quickly, then I can exercise my faith and believe that He has His purpose, and I can submit cheerfully to it, without feeling cheated or cut short.
Not the actual New Jerusalem.
I hug to my heart the promise of golden summers of Eternity, as the light from the Throne blazes out across the river, illuminating the twelve Trees of Life and their fruit, always in season:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place. — Revelation 22:1-6
Tim
Being a worker bee, I can’t wait to have a part in building the New Jerusalem!
Sure looks worth the wait.
Those tomatoes will ripen in September if they follow last year’s schedule, which was also gloomy. It’s the hours of sunlight a day combined with the temperature of the soil, so surely there must be a few days with enough sunlight and warmth and sunlight in them to ripen those babies! The two plant you gave me are dripping with green balls so I’ll let you know when they begin to blush.
Thanks, Tim, for the lovely reminder that God is in control of His seasons and we need only be grateful and go along. Fall is definitely making its way here in MN, too.
I love you Edgrens. Aunt Kate
That was a great reflection but thinking about the days getting shorter and how in a little while the sun will set before I even leave work for the day… I’ll try not to dwell on that too long.