What a difference a summer can make! Close your eyes for a second and imagine yourself as a young teen the second week of August. You're thirteen and you've grown over the summer, your braces have come off, and the excitement is building to the first day of school. So many things happened over the summer. You're eager to tell your friends all about it. In fact, you know your English teacher is likely to ask for a one-page paper detailing the events of your summer. Fast forward to today. Now you're a part of the work world. Summer doesn't mean quite as much as it once did because you no longer have three months vacation. (We could always ask.) Basically, you go to work every day, it's just hotter when you leave the building for lunch.
But still, there's something about summer. Changes just seem to happen in the summer, whether we're on vacation or hard at work. Look at your own personal life. What big or small events happened this summer? In our family, two of our precious children (my grandchildren) were baptized. To me, that's in the big category. Making the decision to follow Christ and give your life to Him is BIG. Then, the long awaited desire for my bangs to grow out finally happened. That's definitely in the small category. The world would absolutely still rotate just fine if I had bangs or didn't have bangs. Speaking of world issues, what changes have happened? Let's see, terrorism is still a threat and our young men and women continue to fight for our freedom, but many troops have returned home to their loved ones. The gulf has gone from a complete disaster to hopefully being saved and up and running by next summer. Many families have found work after months of being without, but many others are now facing months with no income. I'll say it again, what a difference a summer can make!
I'm reminded of one of the summer themes we had a few years ago at our local Christian youth camp. The theme was "Things Change, He Doesn't." In our ever-changing, ever-growing, fast paced world, it's so comforting to remember that God is always there, unchanging. We may not be able to depend on many constants in our lives, but on this we can be sure of! God is our refuge and strength, our ever present help in trouble. Therefore, we do not have to fear, even if the earth gives way or the mountains fall into the sea…Does that verse sound familiar? It's Psalms 46. Read the entire chapter and you will be comforted knowing that whatever happens on this earth, God is in control.
School beginning is full of changes as well. It's not all about new markers and fresh, clean white paper. It's about developing new relationships and acquiring more knowledge and tackling never-before-tried projects. As you encourage your children to "do their best" remind them that God is watching over them. Not in a bad way, but in a GREAT way--to help them through each new adventure. He's their constant source of strength, their refuge in any storm and change has never thrown Him for a minute.
Have a great week.
Hugs, Chrys
