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Christmas in July

 

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"I will honor Christmas in my heart and try 
to keep it all year." ~ Scrooge, A Christmas Carol

🌞Alright, alright - I hear you.  Please don't talk about Christmas while you are enjoying summer.  (But someone needs to hear this - there are only 157 days left.)  And you know what comes out  first- the school supplies, then one day later the autumn decor.  Then three days after that is Christmas everything.  And my happy meter spikes:)  I can already smell the pumpkin spice latte.☕

Now some may think I'm trying to throw shade on the whole summer experience. 😎

And you would be right.  I only endure summer because fall is just around the corner, and I am finally able to celebrate this time of year appropriately, without a start to school.   I will admit I love the poppies that are growing in my yard.  And of course the baby deer.  And the garden tomatoes and peaches.  OK, summer does have some redeeming qualities.

I really am grateful for seasons.  The changes that come with each have both positive and negative sides, like the seasons of life.  Like the sage King Solomon (the son of King David and one of the wealthiest men in the world) wrote:


If you are still reading because I haven't completely lost you with the summer dis, there is a point to talking about seasons, and really it's genuine.  This past week I have moved my elderly mom into memory care, and have had a chance to analyze the throws of aging up close and personal.  


The sunset period of life can be negative for sure, but the Lord is certainly alongside.  I wasn't expecting this season to show up so quickly and disrupt our lives, but God afforded me the privilege of getting to be the one who is navigating this for and with my mom, who certainly navigated a lot of experiences for me.  And, as always, was ever before me ordering our steps.



As many of you have had the same seasons, we aren't often ready for the twist and off-road turns we encounter.  And as we know, just because we are Christians we are not sheltered from them.  In fact, the Bible tells us numerous times to expect trials like unplanned seasons & how to respond to them-- 



🔥 we are to take heart (John 16:33)
🔥 know that God will work all things together for our good      
     (Rom  8:28)
🔥 not be surprised (1 Pet 4:12) 
🔥 remain steadfast (James 1:12)
🔥 rejoice in the good qualities it will produce in us 
      (Rom 5:3-5)
🔥 don't fear (Rev 2:10)
🔥 resist the devil and stand firm (1 Pet 5:9)
🔥 know we will be restored, confirmed, strengthened and established (1 Pet 5:10)
🔥 know we'll be delivered (Ps 34:19)
🔥 be patient and constant in prayer (Rom 12:12)

This isn't a checklist we can bustle through; many times when going through difficult seasons we are just in survival mode most of the time.  But knowing that this is the biblical guidance of the purpose of trials, we can firmly believe we are not alone- the Lord is walking through them with us, and He's not surprised when they happen.



So when you are not ready for the particular season that is coming upon you, know that He is using all of these times for our good and His glory as He transforms us through them.

So wake me up before you cocoa.  Christmas puns sleigh me.🎄

✙ Dear Heavenly Father, as always, You establish the paths of our lives with Your incredibly perfect timing and compassion.  Because You know human difficulties, those that come with different seasons we go through are opportunities for You to be You🤍  We praise You for the beautiful and delicate process of walking alongside loved ones who need us, knowing we will need someone at some time too.  We always desperately need You, and may the brevity of this life keep us heaven-minded, anxiously awaiting forever with You, where there is no more decay.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus!  Amen.




Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 22, 2025 at 7:07 AM

    Love your wisdom & perspective!! ❤️

    ReplyDelete

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