It is so hard to imagine but summer is quickly fading away. I was recently reminded of this fact when noticing the back to school supplies list inside Wal-Mart. This left me with a feeling of sadness because summer time is one of my favorite seasons of the year. It always seems as though we are constantly rushing here and there throughout the school year to get everything done. Between school work, jobs, extra curricular activities, dinner, and bed there seems to be little time left for a spiritual life. It seems as though we get busier and busier each school year, filling our lives with every activity under the sun, yet we complain when we can’t hear from God. He did say “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) for a reason, and I am reminded of this daily by the innocence of little children. My eight year old can be slow in moving at times and I find myself constantly having to rush him out the door, which is not an easy task. He tends, as most young kids do, to operate on his time instead of mine which is usually in the slow lane. It seems as though children don’t worry about getting a million things done at once, they simply live in the moment not worried about what will happen next week. They take time to see the little things, no agenda, just what is around them now, taking the time to stop and smell the roses as they say. What if we learned a thing or two about living in the moment from them instead of trying to multi task and squeeze more and more activities into our lives. Do you think we could hear from God then?

I received a phone call on Tuesday from someone who you might remember; (Sandy Ball) who also made me think about this subject. Sandy, who recently relocated to Arizona, has not received any of her items from her home from the moving company and has had to operate on little to nothing for almost two weeks. When speaking to her I asked her how she was managing with the kids, and she said they are mainly in the pool every day because of the heat. Most people would think this was really difficult but she seems to have a positive attitude under the circumstances. She is finally able to relax and focus on what is important in life, God and family. What if we did the same?

In the beginning of the blog I told you that summer was my favorite time of the year, but I did not tell you why. It is my favorite season because it forces me to slow down, grab a towel, and sit pool side while waiting for the Lord to speak to me. Some of my greatest moments with the God have taken place while watching the children play in the pool.

Psalm 46:1-4
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, through the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, through its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

If you have had a hard time hearing from God lately I invite you to take advantage of these last few weeks of summer and relax your mind and spirit. With the long days of the season and a heat wave that just won’t go away jumping into cool water may be just what the Lord is calling you to do. Will you be still long enough to hear your master’s voice?