Devotion
Every Summer Has a Story
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
As I look back at past summers, I see a collection of beautiful memories. Summer is typically a time that overflows with joy at being able to spend time with family at Christmas. When we lived in Sydney, it was also a time to catch up with old friends at the New Year's cricket test at the SCG, where we made an annual 'pilgrimage'. As a young boy, it was a time for cricket, swimming, riding pushbikes, climbing trees, reading and going to the beach. Summer can also bring sadness with memories of loved ones who are no longer with us for Christmas, holiday trips and those special experiences. Of course, every summer is unique and has its own tale to tell.
Just as every natural summer has a story, so does each of our spiritual summers. We each walk through different spiritual seasons many times in our lives. Autumn is a time of change. Winter is a time of reflection and preparation. Spring is a time of newness and rebirth. And summer is a time for bearing fruit and embracing the abundance in life that surrounds us.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." (Matthew 6: 25 - 26).
The key to embracing our spiritual summer is to remember to seize the joy of the season. It is a time to feel the heavenly warmth on our face and revel in the beauty that surrounds us - to relax, have fun, celebrate, and abide in gratitude for the blessings that surround. Autumn and winter will come, but Jesus reminds us not to let thoughts of the 'unknowns' rob us of the joy of the moment.
Summer is also a season known for bearing good fruit. Again, as a young boy, I remember picking plums, strawberries and mandarins from the many fruit trees that we had in our backyard. There is just nothing like a sweet, sun-ripened, summer strawberry or plum! Our spiritual fruits of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control must also be cultivated and ripened so it can taste even sweeter than the best summer fruit. The best way to do this is to remember Jesus, our spiritual gardener - and to strive to remain in him always.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).
The seasons may change, but our good and loving God remains a positive, consistent presence. Let’s celebrate our summers, both the natural and the spiritual, and embrace every story being written, because God’s hand is in each one.
Will Wallace
Principal