It’s August. Somehow it feels like we’ve turned a corner in the summer and the school year is fast approaching. We’ve got to quickly fit in all of those things that we told ourselves that we were going to do this summer. Got to get that DIY project done; got to get all those good books read; got to quickly do more relaxing and enjoying life before life gets hectic and busy again.
Or not. Or yes, do those good things but first just take a breath. And then another.
I was realizing this morning that looming back-to-school dread is a form of worry about the morrow. I can be anxious in August about busyness in September but it’s not actually going to make the summer last any longer. Abby (my wife) and I have had a lot on our to-do lists. We’ve been back in the United States for just over six weeks now and there’s been a lot to figure out and set up, and there is a lot that remains to be figured out and set up. I can be anxious about that and feel like I’ll only be able to be peaceful once everything is crossed off of those to-do lists, or I can take a breath.
The Lord says, “... ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10, NKJV). It’s been useful to me this morning to ask the Lord for some peace right now; to seek from Him for contentment and appreciation for all the good things that are good right now; and to knock on the door of compassion and understanding for my kids’ challenging emotional reactions to leaving their home and everything familiar behind.
I’ve asked and I’ve received, just like the Lord promised. I’ve just got to remember to keep asking, seeking, and knocking tomorrow and the next day too. What do you need to ask the Lord for, here, in the beginning of August?