Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Summer


To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven...
A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3


Though we have yet to hit the summer solstice, our family has already enjoyed the season's sweet offerings: a blazing sun, a respite from routine responsibilities, and constant company with each other. Audrey, Reid and Norah are each at a place in life that I want to freeze-frame and soak up every twinkle of the eye and idiosyncratic remark, every giggle and guffaw. Aside from the monthly chemo week, Matt is in full-form: energized and engaged.

Part of me wonders:

Would the summer be so sweet if the winter weren't so bitter?

And, would the bitter winter be so bearable if the summer's promise weren't so sweet?

The Lord, in His providence and sustaining grace, is kind to mingle the two. In the cold of winter, we carry the warmth of the Son through Whom the promise is made to be with us "always, to the end of the age." And in the season of colorful communion, we carry the heavy reality that green will give way to gray, proving that we are not home yet.

For now, I will live in the season I feel swirling about me. I will drink it in, savor it as a foretaste of heaven: a blazing Son, a forever respite from a worn-out world and constant company, face-to-face with my Savior and the saints around the throne.




13 comments:

Rob said...

Great post. loved the poetry of it.

DebbieB said...

God is so good, and brings all things in their season, doesn't He? Amazing - I am listening to Matt's Ecclesiastes series this week, such perfect timing. I'm what he calls a "podcaster" - living in New Orleans, but a Village Church member in my heart. Thanks for being yet another confirmation that I'm walking in the right direction, Lauren.

matthendren023 said...

Wow... very poetic. Much wisdom in this Mrs. Lauren. All so true and very relevant to us all. Nice words.

John Michael Lane said...

Such a great post! Your thoughts on summer and winter remind me of C.S. Lewis. Stuck in an endless winter waiting with the hope of spring.

Thanks for the post!

Steph said...

fantastic post. super encouraging. thank you!

E said...

What a beautiful post.

debra parker said...

beautiful and true.

Rachael said...

Oh wow! This is so beautifully written and gorgeously illustrates one of those thoughts you have at the back of your head but can't quite put into words. Unless the hypothetical 'you' happens to be YOU, in which case you CAN put it into words. Would you mind if I linked to this post in my blog?

Maureen Creek said...

So encouraging and beautifully worded. Thank you for posting this! :)

shainapearce.com said...

Love this post - evidence of Grace, even in the unfavorable times. I also love the sandy toes. :-)

Anonymous said...

thank you, this is beautiful

Dan Kemp said...

I cried...
- tears of winter,
- tears of summer... mingled all at once. Thanks for the post.

Molly said...

My heart soaked up this post. Oh how your words were true revelations of GOD. I will remember this!