Dear Friends in Christ, 

How are you feeling after the most recent stretch of “the dog days of summer?”  Personally. I like a little warm, humid weather.  But I become tired of it when it goes on for weeks rather than days, especially if it’s awfully hot and excessively humid as it has been in recent weeks.  How about you?

It’s the same way with life for me.  Personally, I like some challenges in my life, but I become tired of them if they go on too long or without respite.  When I’m pushing myself to complete numerous, difficult or unwanted tasks or go through successive troubling periods, I become weary.  How about you?  

For some, as for myself, such times may lead to faith questions like, “Where is God?” or “What kind of God is God?”  But, for me, these times also lead me to appreciate smaller, even basic elements of life, like “life itself” and simply “being alive.”  For, as long as I have my breath, I harbor hope and possibility. How about you?    

I think and feel that my experience comes from the fact that during such times and moments, I remember and hear Jesus’ invitation:  “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” and Jesus’s promise: “I am with you always until the end of the world.”  But, maybe you have your spiritual mantras that “kick in”, too.  I hope and pray so because we all have our “moments!” 

Blessings of Refreshing Peace, 

Pastor Ed