From My Window…
It’s been hot for so long that I don’t remember whining about how cold it was earlier this spring. It’s been hot so long that I don’t care if the Japanese beetles eat my flowers. It’s been hot so long that I’ve fallen back in love with watermelon, patios at 10 at night and sprinklers. And we’ve only just reached the official Dog Days of Summer. Remember that phrase? The Old Farmer’s Almanac says they run for 40 days from July 3rd to August 11th. Named by the ancient Romans after Sirius, the Dog Star, whose brightness coincided with this period, it is a time “when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies” OK, we’re not all hysterical and frenzied, but we may be dragging a bit, both in body and soul.
These days remind me why the psalmist wrote that the “LORD is your shade at your right hand.” I need the cooling refreshment of God’s Word when worries and grief leave me, well, frenzied. Perhaps you too have days where your worries mix with the heat and leave you thirsty for more than a cold drink. Now is not the time to forget to gather together in fellowship and worship with those who care for you at Shiloh. Now is not the time to forget to nourish your soul with the words of the psalmist who reminds us that with the Lord “the sun shall not strike you by day” (Ps 121). Now is not the time to shut ourselves up inside our air-conditioned cocoons waiting for easier days. Now is, instead, the time to refresh ourselves by gathering, praising and still serving our Lord. Just be sure to bring the cold water.
Pastor Susan