“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

This “Present” Day

I’ve always had a hard time giving up the summer season and all it means to me: long days, warm nights, home grown tomatoes, going to the lake to swim and snorkel with my dog, enjoying the sounds of children laughing, splashing and playing in the water during the hot afternoons, and hearing the crickets serenade in the evenings.

As the weather starts to cool and the days grow shorter, I start to dread the shorter days ahead, rather than welcoming the reprieve from the blazing Redding heat, and appreciating the beauty of colorful fall leaves. I guess you could say I “kick against the goads!”

It finally dawned that no matter how much I fuss about summer coming to an end, winter will still come! There is no way to stop the different seasons from coming and going (Genesis 8:22).

So it is with the different seasons of our lives. We can’t change them or stop them—God is sovereign and in control of them—so it is foolish to resist and miss out on the blessings each one can bring. After all, what would we do without the rains and the snow in the mountains to keep us hydrated in the dry summer months? To enjoy different activities or even lack of activities as we have time to enjoy a cozy fire with a good book. And would I really look forward to spring if we didn’t have those dark, cold, wet days to replenish all that summer had used up? I don’t think so!

Therefore, I have decided to accept and enjoy each season of my life, whether sunny or stormy. I am grateful for this present day, for each day is truly a “present”, a gift of life from Him, to be fully lived for His purposes and glory!

“Lord, help me to remember when those dark dreary days come, that they are just as necessary as the bright sunny ones. I choose to rejoice in each day, for You have made and ordained each one. Amen.”