In and Out of Season

The curtains of summer are beginning to draw in closure, as the world makes ready for the crisp and lulling of fall beginnings. The malls have already begun to display autumn fashions and even the Sun is making it's exits a little earlier, as of recently. Yes, the world is preparing for those quiet months of gusty winds and whispered nights; of cool afternoons and the sound of crunched leaves, lingering behind each booted step. I savor the summer months, because I dread the cold, yet in my region of the world, it has been a particularly mild summer. Not at all typical of a North Carolina.
Yesterday afternoon, I noticed that the Sunflowers beside the freeway were drooping and half naked, from fallen off petals. Normally, Sunflowers bloom and last until late September. I figure, the humbling sight must be due to a lack of sunlight, as it has been cloudy as of late. I was disappointed to see how my golden beauties, usually standing proud and tall this time of year, were colorless and stooped over, instead. A part of me felt sad somehow, for one reason or another, and I began to think about how we, as Christians, can sometimes allow the unexpected cloudiness and circumstances of our lives to hinder our growth and display of Christ, amidst our surroundings.

Even in an environment where growth is suppose to be taking place, we can find ourselves feeling as if we are withering away. We can pray, yet have a sense of disconnect; we can worship, yet feel powerless between the spaces of each word we sing; we can read our Bibles and recall scripture, yet feel as if our lives are some how exempt from promises expressed in certain passages. Sometimes, in our Christian lives, there are signs of Autumn or even Winter, in what should be our spiritual Summer.

As of lately, I've felt that way in my prayer life. See, in my opinion, I am in my spiritual Summer: my Bible Study group is growing (in number as well as in confidence), my marriage is a dream (if you overlook the inclusion of the NFL, NBA and the World Cup), our new Church is sincerely feeding us the meat of scripture and my extended family is happy and successful. I feel loved, I'm busy, I'm happy... but I'm also unsatisfied. I'm unsatisfied with believing Him for answers, yet feeling as if I'm talking to the pots and pans that I am scrubbing. I feel like my prayer life is hibernating, when it's clearly Summer time!
Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever experienced so much blessing in one area, yet at the same time, felt a disconnect in another? If so, it's normal. It's life.

Psalm 9: 10 states,
"Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you".

To me, this scripture brings "Summer" back to my heart. There are times when our moods and experiences don't reflect our spiritual state. There are times when our circumstances overshadow what we know to be true. There are even times when Sunflowers droop, even in the middle of summer. But it doesn't change the season. Even if all the flowers died and all the leaves on the trees turned brown in July, it would still be Summer. Even if you feel far away from God, or you feel unproductive in your relationship with Him, you are still His child and His promises are still effective in your life! All He asks us to do is simply trust and seek Him! Don't loose heart. If you feel as if your prayers are disappearing, even as you are uttering them, continue to pray, anyway. If you feel as if your worship is in vain, lift your hands higher and your voice louder. If you feel as if your attempts to live a pleasing life is backfiring, don't quit-keep going! The Lord will not forsake you! He has given us His word! We must believe, and eventually, spiritual summer will come to us in that area, and then in the next one and in the next one.

Let's be faithful, in and out of season!
Trust God!

~Pearls