Feels Like Summer

The summer season is upon us. School is out and summer camps have begun. Fruits and veggies are piled high at the local Farmer’s markets and of course, there are watermelons everywhere! When you see them displayed in hot tub-sized bins at the grocery store, you just know that it feels like summer.

There can be so many different things that feel like summer. Maybe you are getting ready to spend a week at the beach or you’re going on a new destination vacation. Each one can bring excitement and anticipation. Maybe you are planting and growing flowers or vegetables in a backyard garden. That’s something that feels like summer. I think we can all agree that as the temperature rises and warms things up, it feels like summer.  We can, assuredly put away our coats and boots and bring out our summer outfits. Thank the Lord!

There are things in this life that let us know when the seasons are changing. These clues give us an opportunity to shift and adapt to what’s taking place around us.

Feels like summer.

Summertime is one of my favorite seasons for so many reasons. I think sometimes we can associate a season based on our past experiences and traditions. Feels like summer can bring all those memories to the forefront of our minds. These recollections can be triggered by the smells, tastes and sounds around us.

Experiences create feelings and feelings can be so subjective. Wouldn’t you agree? How something can make you feel can be totally different from how it might make your friend feel. I find this fascinating. We are all created uniquely and respond to things in different ways.

They say feelings are feelings. Feelings can change quickly depending on the intensity of the moment, experience, or circumstance. Feelings shift and change. They are like waves in the ocean (unstable in all of their ways, I might add).

We live in a world that is flooded with FEELINGS. So much so that it’s believed that we can live based on how we feel. This is a mindset and a part of our culture. Statements such as: “If it makes you feel good…”, “But, I feel like…” or  “Go with your feelings” are all too familiar and common.

Feelings are like shifting sands. They should not be used as a foundation to make decisions. Peace is secure and is connected to a foundation of truth. Truth never shifts. Wisdom says ride out the wave of feelings and do not be governed by how things make you feel. One should stand on a firm foundation that never changes and is secure.

Matthew 7:24-27 (MSG) says,

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life; homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

It’s impossible to avoid feelings and emotions. God created us to have them. Feelings can be good, bad, high or low, depending on the day. They are personal signals for us, but certainly not ones we can depend on or be governed by.

Feelings shift and change, but God’s Word and His Spirit never change. There is a standard of living -- as Jesus followers rooted in God’s word -- that we can obtain.

The world needs the anchor of hope. It needs truth to cling to when the storm comes or when a wave of feelings rush in. Jesus is our anchor. He holds us securely until the storm ends. He is our peace. He promises to be with us before, during and after any storm we go through.

We can trust a God who never changes. He will carry us safely through - feelings and all!

So, even though school is out and hot weather is in, what feels like summer can be so different for every person. However, we know that summer actually begins this year on Thursday, June 20.  It can be confirmed on our 2024 calendar. That’s the truth.

So, ladies, all feelings aside, walk into this new season with God’s Word and His Spirit within you. Don’t let your circumstances and situations sweep you out to sea, floating on your feelings and frustrations. Let Jesus be your anchor and as sure as the sun shines, He will sustain you. Walk in truth and enjoy your summer!

With joy,

Bethany Marshall