That was a short summer!

Got up this morning and the wind was a blowing. Didn't think much about it until I went out the door on my way to the church. That wind reminded me that my suit was not lined and that the temp had dropped from Saturday by at least 20 degrees. It was sharp. I'm not so sure that I didn't see a few snow flakes mixed in with the misty rain that we had for a while today too. We just looked at the temps for next week since we have a few days that we want to take off with our son. Monday is supposed to be sunny and in the mid 50's. Not as bad as today, but it sure could be warmer. Tuesday is to be mid 60's and partly cloudy. Again, it could be better.

But you know what? I really have nothing to be griping about. I've been given the freedom to spend some time with my family. I've been given good health. I've been given the means to take the time and do some fun things with my wife and son that a lot of people cannot do, especially in today's economy. When it comes right down to it, I have it pretty good. I can put on a light jacket or a sweater and be even more comfortable than anytime during the summer when I'm complaining about being too hot.

Kind of reminds me of the Israelites when they were brought out of Egypt. Instead of coming out as former slaves, God brought them out of Egypt as victors. They camped along the Red Sea and found the Egyptian army heading toward them on the only escape route, yet God delivered them by parting the sea. A couple of days later they found themselves traveling through the desert and running out of water. They found an oasis with a pond, but the water was bitter. Instead of looking to God for answers they began to gripe and complain. Yet their leader, Moses, prayed, and God showed Moses a piece of wood and instructed Moses to throw the wood into the water. When the wood hit the water that water became sweet. They went from there to the next oasis and not only were there several sweet water springs, but there were date palms as well. They began to travel again and it did not take long and they found themselves out of food and fussing about that too. This time when Moses prayed, God said that he would provide quail and corn bread but that the people could only gather enough for one day. If they gathered more it would spoil. What a deal. Of course after a couple more days, the water ran short again and God had to send Moses to a rock and let him beat the rock with his staff. The water poured out and the people once again saw the power of God.

Why do I tell you all of this? The story of the Exodus reminds us that God wants us to look on the bright side and to rely on Him. When the hard parts of life come along, those times when we tend to be automatic with the complaining, we should instead turn to God. Is He trying to teach us something? Is He showing us, or someone else, His power and greatness? Is he testing us? What ever it is, you can rest assured that He wants the best for you. If you'll rely on Him for all your needs, He will show you, and the world, just how good He is.

Depending on Him ...